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 Jedlicka; Gillian Queisser; Alexander Opitz

doi:10.1016/j.brs.2021.09.004

Multi-scale modeling toolbox for single neuron and subcellular activity under Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Brain Stimul. 2021 Nov-Dec;14(6):1470-1482. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.09.004. Epub 2021 Sep 22.

Authors

Sina Shirinpour¹, Nicholas Hananeia², James Rosado³, Harry Tran⁴, Christos Galanis⁵, Andreas Vlachos⁶, Peter Jedlicka², Gillian Queisser³, Alexander Opitz⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. Electronic address: shiri008@umn.edu.
² Faculty of Medicine, ICAR3R - Interdisciplinary Centre for 3Rs in Animal Research, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
³ Department of Mathematics, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
⁵ Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
⁶ Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Center Brain Links Brain Tools, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
⁷ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. Electronic address: aopitz@umn.edu.

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.

Keywords: Calcium simulation; Dendrites; Electric field simulation; Neuron compartmental modeling; Synaptic plasticity; Three-dimensional reconstructions; Transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brain / physiology
Computer Simulation
Head
Neurons* / physiology
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation* / methods

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding