A TMS coil positioning/holding system for MR image-guided TMS interleaved with fMRI

Objective: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be interleaved with fMRI to visualize regional brain activity in response to direct, non-invasive, cortical stimulation, making it a promising tool for studying brain function. A major practical difficulty is accurately positioning the TMS coil within the MRI scanner for stimulating a particular area of brain cortex. The objective of this work was to design and build a self-contained hardware/software system for MR-guided TMS coil positioning in interleaved TMS/fMRI studies. Methods: A compact, manually operated, articulated TMS coil positioner/holder with 6 calibrated degrees of freedom was developed for use inside a cylindrical RF head coil, along with a software package for transforming between MR image coordinates, MR scanner space coordinates, and positioner/holder settings. Results: Phantom calibration studies gave an accuracy for positioning within setups of dx=±1.9 mm, dy=±1.4 mm, dz=±0.8 mm and a precision for multiple setups of dx=±0.8 mm, dy=±0.1 mm, dz=±0.1 mm. Conclusions: This self-contained, integrated MR-guided TMS system for interleaved TMS/fMRI studies provides fast, accurate location of motor cortex stimulation sites traditionally located functionally, and a means of consistent, anatomy-based TMS coil positioning for stimulation of brain areas without overt response.