Robotic, image-guided TMS: methods, validations and applications

Summary form only given. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used to depolarize neuronal populations in discrete regions of the human cerebral cortex. Once created, these local neuronal activations propagate physiologically to other regions following the neuronal pathways of the brain. Positron-emission tomography (PET) can be used to image TMS-induced brain activations, both local (at the site of stimulation) and remote (via connections). To allow highly precise mapping of human cerebral connectivity, we have developed a fully robotic, image-guided system for imaging and delivering TMS, which can be used during PET or alone. A strategy for accommodating variations in cortical geometry has been developed and validated.