Abstract
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Electric Stimulation (TES) are two main methods of Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) that modulate neural activity by creating electric fields in the brain. NIBS is currently being used as a treatment method for psychiatric disorders such as major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance use disorder. Additionally, NIBS is also used as a tool for causal manipulations of brain activity in research settings. Precise knowledge of the induced electric fields is crucial for experimental design and the choice of stimulation parameters for dosing. There is increasing demand for the accessibility of such tools due to the growing clinical and research applications of NIBS. SimNIBS is one of the leading platforms for NIBS electric field modeling (simnibs.org). In this Brain Initiative project, our goal is to increase the functionality and accessibility of SimNIBS. We aim to do this by 1) Improving human MRI segmentation to increase the accuracy, speed, and robustness of head models. 2) Developing automatic non-human primate head segmentation as a translational tool. 3) Extending the visualization and graphical interface of SimNIBS to make the software more user-friendly and bring additional post-processing features. 4) Adding functionality to integrate neuronavigation systems with SimNIBS to assist in accurate targeting of the brain. 5) Generation of automated recommendations for optimal coil positions and electrode locations. 6) Utilizing software containers to provide simple cross-platform and high-performance access to SimNIBS. These developments facilitate incorporating modeling platforms in clinical applications, and human and animal research which will widen the pool of users. Modeling is essential for understanding the NIBS mechanism of action, translating the experimental findings from animals to humans, and finding the optimal dosing and targeting of brain stimulation. In summary, these functions will help researchers and clinicians to improve the treatment efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation.