Figure-Eight Coils for Magnetic Stimulation: From Focal Stimulation to Deep Stimulation

Abstract

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This article reviews the evolution and recent developments of transcranial magnetic brain stimulation using figure-eight coils to stimulate localized areas in the human brain. Geometric variations of figure-eight coils and their characteristics are reviewed and discussed for applications in neuroscience and medicine. Recent topics of figure-eight coils, such as focality of figure-eight coils, tradeoff between depth and focality, and approaches for extending depth, are discussed.

Keywords

• transcranial magnetic stimulation
• figure-eight coil
• brain stimulation
• brain mapping
• depth-focality tradeoff