INFLUENCE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC STIMULATION ON NEOCORTICAL NEURONS AND NETWORK : A SIMULATION BASED STUDY

Abstract

Non-invasive electromagnetic stimulation has shown promising effects in treating neurological disorders, but its working mechanism is still largely unknown. To fill the knowledge gap, a novel numerical computation scheme was developed in the present study. The simulation was then applied on a number of neurons to investigate their responses to electric fields in the light of statistical analysis. The results showed that the stimulation thresholds of neurons ? the minimal field intensity to induce action potential firing ? had limited anisotropy but a considerable sensitivity to stimulus duration. Different TMS waveforms activated neurons in different phases but under the same mechanism ? depolarization of the terminals of the axon shafts. The relatively higher thresholds appeared to acknowledge that interneurons were unlikely to be the targets of direct kindling. For simulation setups where experiment data was available, a high affinity between the in vitro and in silico recordings was noted.