Abstract
PurposeTo overcome current limitations in combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies by employing a dedicated coil array design for 3 Tesla.MethodsThe state‐of‐the‐art setup for concurrent TMS/fMRI is to use a large birdcage head coil, with the TMS between the subject's head and the MR coil. This setup has drawbacks in sensitivity, positioning, and available imaging techniques. In this study, an ultraslim 7‐channel receive‐only coil array for 3 T, which can be placed between the subject's head and the TMS, is presented. Interactions between the devices are investigated and the performance of the new setup is evaluated in comparison to the state‐of‐the‐art setup.ResultsMR sensitivity obtained at the depth of the TMS stimulation is increased by a factor of five. Parallel imaging with an acceleration factor of two is feasible with low g‐factors. Possible interactions between TMS and the novel hardware were investigated and were found negligible.ConclusionThe novel coil array is safe, strongly improves signal‐to‐noise ratio in concurrent TMS/fMRI experiments, enables parallel imaging, and allows for flexible positioning of the TMS on the head while ensuring efficient TMS stimulation due to its ultraslim design. Magn Reson Med 74:1492–1501, 2015. © 2014 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Highlights
Functional magnetic resonance imaging is one of the most important brain-activity mapping techniques and is widely used in the neurosciences, including psychology, psychiatry, and neurology
Combining Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which allows for direct interaction with the neuronal substrate, can prove a desirable approach to overcome these limitations
A PIN diode is used (DH 80106, Temex Ceramics). This diode is biased through a radio frequency (RF) choke (1812CS; Coilcraft, Cumbermauld, UK)
Summary
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the most important brain-activity mapping techniques and is widely used in the neurosciences, including psychology, psychiatry, and neurology. For almost 30 years, TMS has been utilized in modern medicine It is a powerful diagnostic tool [2,3,4,5,6,7] but has become an important technique for cognitive neuroscience. One major advantage of TMS is that it can be used to interact with the function of single brain regions at well-defined time points. As such, it can reveal causality relations between different areas within a neural network. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been used as a therapeutic device in many neurological and psychiatric conditions, especially in the treatment of major depression [8,9,10,11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
