SHAPED COILS FOR TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION

• US 20110273251A1
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainsway, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NeoStim, Inc.
• Inventors: Schneider, M. Bret, Mishelevich, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 335/299
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/006 for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Described herein are shaped coil TMS electromagnets formed by two bent magnetic coil loops joined at a vertex having an angle between the outer coil regions of the coils that is typically less than 120 degrees (e.g., between about 45 and about 70 degrees, 60 degrees, etc.). The vertex region shaped to optimize the magnetic field projected from the TMS electromagnet. For example, the vertex region may be horizontal or vertical. In some variations the vertex region is formed by re-arranging the conductive windings forming the two coils so that they are no longer arranged in the same columnar structure that they are in the other portions of the bent magnetic coil loops. These TMS electromagnets may be well suited for use in deep-brain Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Claims

1. A Y-shaped Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnet configured to emit a focused magnetic field, the TMS electromagnet comprising:

a first bent magnetic coil loop comprising a plurality of windings and a second bent magnetic coil loop comprising a plurality of windings;

wherein the first magnetic coil loop comprises a first inner coil region and the second magnetic coil loop comprises a second inner coil region, and wherein the first and second inner coil regions are arranged to form a vertex configured so that the plurality of windings within the first inner coil region for a column this is adjacent and parallel to the plurality of windings within the second inner coil that are arranged in a column; and

wherein the first magnetic coil loop comprises a first outer coil region and the second magnetic coil loop comprises a second outer coil region, and the angle between the first outer coil region and the second outer coil region is between about 30 degrees and about 120 degrees.

2. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the first outer coil region is opposite the first inner coil region on the first magnetic coil loop and wherein the second outer coil region is opposite the second inner coil region on the second magnetic coil loop.

3. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the first bent magnetic coil loop comprise greater than 5 windings.

4. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the angle between the first outer coil region and the second outer coil region is approximately 60 degrees.

5. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, further comprising a structural support matrix surrounding the first and second bent magnetic coil loops.

6. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops are electrically connected so that the current flows from the first coil loop into the second coil loop.

7. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the vertex is configured so that current will flow in the same direction in the first and second inner coil regions of the vertex.

8. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops are arranged symmetrically about the vertex.

9. The TMS electromagnet of claim 1, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops have approximately the same shape and size.

10. A shaped coil Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnet comprising:

a first bent magnetic coil loop comprising a column formed of a plurality of conductive windings;

a second bent magnetic coil loop comprising a column formed of a plurality of conducive windings; and

a vertex region connecting the first and second bent magnetic coil loops;

wherein the vertex region is formed by aligning the columns of conductive windings within the first bent magnetic coil loop in parallel with the column of conductive windings within the second bent magnetic coil loop;

wherein the angle between a first outer coil region of the first magnetic coil loop and a second outer coil region of the second magnetic coil loop is less than 120 degrees.

11. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the vertex region comprise an I-bottomed vertex.

12. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the vertex region comprises an interleaved vertex.

13. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the first outer coil region is opposite the vertex region on the first magnetic coil loop and wherein the second outer coil region is opposite the vertex region on the second magnetic coil loop.

14. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the first magnetic coil loop comprise greater than 5 windings.

15. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the angle between a first outer coil region of the first magnetic coil loop and a second outer coil region of the second magnetic coil loop is approximately 60 degrees.

16. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, further comprising a structural support matrix surrounding the first and second magnetic coil loops.

17. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops are electrically connected so that the current flows from the first bent magnetic coil loop into the second bent magnetic coil loop.

18. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the vertex is configured so that current will flow in the same direction in the portion of the windings forming the first and second bent magnetic coil loops that are part of the vertex.

19. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops are arranged symmetrically about the vertex.

20. The shaped TMS electromagnet of claim 10, wherein the first and second bent magnetic coil loops have approximately the same shape and size.

21. A shaped coil Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnet comprising:

a first bent magnetic coil loop comprising a plurality of conductive windings;

a second bent magnetic coil loop comprising a plurality of conducive windings; and

a generally V-shaped bottom vertex region between the first and second bent magnetic coil loops;

wherein the angle between an outer coil region of the first bent magnetic coil loop and the outer coil region of the second bent magnetic coil loop is between about 55 and about 65 degrees; and

wherein the V-shaped bottom vertex region is formed by arranging immediately adjacent portions of the each coil at an angle of between about 70 and about 110 degrees relative to each other.

22. A shaped Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnet comprising:

a first bent magnetic coil loop formed of a column comprising a plurality of windings;

a second bent magnetic coil loop formed of a column comprising a plurality of windings;

a flat-bottomed vertex region between the first and second bent magnetic coil loops;

wherein the angle between an outer coil region of the first bent magnetic coil loop and the outer coil region of the second bent magnetic coil loop is between about 55 and about 65 degrees; and

wherein the flat-bottom vertex region is formed by arranging an inner coil region of the first bent magnetic coil loop immediately adjacent to an inner coil region of the second bent magnetic coil loop so that the column of windings forming the first and second inner coil regions are at an angle of approximately) 80 degrees with respect to each other.