Low Intensity Multi-Channel Steering TMS Array for Network Level Neuromodulation

Abstract

Objective: Low-intensity transcranial magnetic stimulation (LI-TMS) is being investigated as a gel-free alternative to transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), but existing systems remain almost exclusively single-channel and cannot electronically steer the induced electric field. We present the design, modeling, and experimental measurement of a wearable whole-head, multichannel, steerable LI-TMS array. Methods: The system comprises a 102-channel conformal coil array with independently controlled drivers capable of arbitrary waveform synthesis, together with a boundary element fast multipole method (BEM-FMM) framework that computes the coil currents required to produce prescribed cortical field patterns. A 12-channel prototype was characterized by coil-current, electric-field, and thermal measurements. Results: The prototype produced a peak primary electric field of approximately 1 V/m measured in air 4 cm from the inner helmet surface. Whole-array modeling attained cortical fields of up to 1.5 V/m, reproduced the field distribution of a clinically validated low-intensity stimulator to within 3%-5%, and demonstrated focal targeting of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, simultaneous delivery of electric field to the default mode network nodes, and synthesis of electric fields following the traveling alpha wave. Conclusion: Electronically steerable, whole-head LI-TMS is feasible using accessible microprocessor-controlled power electronics. Significance: The array reaches the cortical field regime of tES without scalp contact or the associated shunting of current through the scalp, offering a route to testing network-level, phaselocked weak-field neuromodulation.