Coil apparatus for use in transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus provided with wound-wire coil disposed on or near head surface

Abstract

A coil apparatus for use in a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus is provided to further increase an electric field intensity on a head surface. The coil apparatus includes a wound-wire coil disposed on or near a head surface so as to generate a current by an induced electric field through electromagnetic induction in a magnetic stimulation-target region of a brain for stimulating neurons. The wound-wire coil includes a near-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed on or near the head surface, and a far-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed farther from the head surface than the near-head-surface conductive wire portion. A distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region.

1 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A coil apparatus for use in a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus including a wound-wire coil disposed on or near a head surface so as to generate a current by an induced electric field through electromagnetic induction in a magnetic stimulation-target region of a brain for stimulating neurons,
 wherein the wound-wire coil includes a near-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed on or near the head surface, and a far-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed farther from the head surface than the near-head-surface conductive wire portion, and   wherein a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region.   
     
     
         11 . The coil apparatus for use in the transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 ,
 wherein the distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that inductance of the coil apparatus falls within a predetermined inductance range and the induced electric field falls within a predetermined spread on the head surface.   
     
     
         12 . The coil apparatus for use in the transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 ,
 wherein the inductance range is set to be equal to or larger than 5 μH and equal to smaller than 13 μH.   
     
     
         13 . The coil apparatus for use in the transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 ,
 wherein the coil apparatus is one of a dome-type coil, a figure-eight-shaped coil, and an eccentric figure-eight-shaped coil.   
     
     
         14 . A transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus comprising:
 a coil apparatus for use in a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus; and   a drive circuit that outputs a current pulse having a predetermined pulse width to the coil apparatus.   wherein the coil apparatus includes a wound-wire coil disposed on or near a head surface so as to generate a current by an induced electric field through electromagnetic induction in a magnetic stimulation-target region of a brain for stimulating neurons,   wherein the wound-wire coil includes a near-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed on or near the head surface, and a far-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed farther from the head surface than the near-head-surface conductive wire portion,   wherein a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region, and   wherein the pulse width is set to fall within a predetermined pulse width range, and a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region.   
     
     
         15 . The transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 ,
 wherein the pulse width range is set to be equal to or longer than 200 μs and be equal to or shorter than 300 μs.   
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing a coil apparatus for use in a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus including a wound-wire coil disposed on or near a head surface so as to generate a current by an induced electric field through electromagnetic induction in a magnetic stimulation-target region of a brain for stimulating neurons,
 wherein the wound-wire coil includes a near-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed on or near the head surface and a far-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed farther from the head surface than the near-head-surface conductive wire portion, and   wherein the method includes the step of:   setting a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes lager than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region.   
     
     
         17 . The method of manufacturing the coil apparatus for use in the transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus as claimed in  claim 16 , the method further including the step of:
 setting the distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion to be changed so that inductance of the coil apparatus falls within a predetermined inductance range and the induced electric field falls within a predetermined spread on the head surface.   
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus including a coil apparatus for use in a transcranial magnetic stimulation apparatus, and a drive circuit that outputs a current pulse having a predetermined pulse width to the coil apparatus,
 wherein the coil apparatus includes a wound-wire coil disposed on or near a head surface so as to generate a current by an induced electric field through electromagnetic induction in a magnetic stimulation-target region of a brain for stimulating neurons,   wherein the wound-wire coil includes a near-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed on or near the head surface, and a far-head-surface conductive wire portion disposed farther from the head surface than the near-head-surface conductive wire portion,   wherein a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion is set to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region, and   wherein the method includes the step of:   setting the pulse width to fall within a predetermined pulse width range; and   setting a distance between the near-head-surface conductive wire portion and the far-head-surface conductive wire portion to be changed so that an intensity of the induced electric field becomes larger than that of a surrounding region of the magnetic stimulation-target region.