Title :
Electroconvulsive therapy simulations using an anatomically-realistic head model
Author :
Bai, Siwei ; Loo, Colleen ; Dokos, Socrates
Author_Institution :
Grad. Sch. of Biomed. Eng., Univ. of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia
fDate :
Aug. 30 2011-Sept. 3 2011
Abstract :
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for severe depressive disorder. Efficacy and cognitive outcomes have been shown to depend on variations in treatment technique. A high resolution finite element model of a human head was generated from MRI scans and implemented with tissue heterogeneity and an excitable ionic neural model incorporated in the brain. The model was used to compare the effects of three common ECT electrode configurations, including the spatial profiles of electric field and excitation in the brain. The results showed that electrode placement has a significant effect in determining the spatial extent of activation in different brain regions, which would account for differences seen in clinical outcomes.
Keywords :
bioelectric phenomena; biomedical MRI; biomedical electrodes; brain models; finite element analysis; medical disorders; patient treatment; ECT; MRI scans; anatomically-realistic head model; brain; electroconvulsive therapy; finite element model; ionic neural model; severe depressive disorder; tissue heterogeneity; Brain modeling; Conductivity; Electrodes; Head; Magnetic heads; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical treatment; Brain; Computer Simulation; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Head; Humans; Models, Biological; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Therapy, Computer-Assisted;
Conference_Titel :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-4121-1
Electronic_ISBN :
1557-170X
DOI :
10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6091399
