Multi-scale modeling toolbox for single neuron and subcellular activity under Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Sina Shirinpour, Nicholas Hananeia, James Rosado, Harry Tran, Christos Galanis, Andreas Vlachos, Peter Jedlička, Gillian Queisser, Alexander Opitz
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a widely used non-invasive brain stimulation method. However, its mechanism of action and the neural response to TMS are still poorly understood. Multi-scale modeling can complement experimental research to study the subcellular neural effects of TMS. At the macroscopic level, sophisticated numerical models exist to estimate the induced electric fields. However, multi-scale computational modeling approaches to predict TMS cellular and subcellular responses, crucial to understanding TMS plasticity inducing protocols, are not available so far. OBJECTIVE: We develop an open-source multi-scale toolbox Neuron Modeling for TMS (NeMo-TMS) to address this problem. METHODS: NeMo-TMS generates accurate neuron models from morphological reconstructions, couples them to the external electric fields induced by TMS, and simulates the cellular and subcellular responses of single-pulse and repetitive TMS. RESULTS: We provide examples showing some of the capabilities of the toolbox. CONCLUSION: NeMo-TMS toolbox allows researchers a previously not available level of detail and precision in realistically modeling the physical and physiological effects of TMS.