Optimal design of transcranial magnetic stimulation coil with iron core

Abstract Objective . Iron core coils offer a passive way to increase the induced electric field intensity during transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), but the influences of core position and dimensions on coil performance have not been elaborately discussed before. Approach. In this study, with the basic figure-of-eight (Fo8) and slinky coil structures, iron core coil optimization is performed with the finite element method considering core position and dimensions. A performance factor combining performance parameters, including the maximum induced electric field, stimulation depth, focus, and heat loss, is utilized to evaluate the comprehensive coil performance. Main results. According to the performance factor, both iron core coils obtain the best overall performance with a fill factor 0.4 and the two legs of the iron core close to the inner sides of the coil. Finally, three prototypes are constructed—the basic, optimized, and full-size slinky iron core coil—and magnetic field detection demonstrates a good agreement with the simulation results. Significance. The proposed systematic optimization approach for iron core coil based on Fo8 and slinky basic structure can be applied to improve TMS coil performance, reduce power requirements, and guide the design of other iron core TMS coils.