Accessory to dissipate heat from transcranial magnetic stimulation coils

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience methods Vol. 314; pp. 28 - 30
• Main Authors: Belyk, Michel, Murphy, Braxton K., Beal, Deryk S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.02.2019
• Subjects: Brain stimulation; Heat dissipation; Heat sink; TMS coil; Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); Heat dissipation; TMS coil; MSO; TMS; Brain stimulation; Heat sink
• ISSN: 0165-0270; 1872-678X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.01.008

•TMS coils heat with repeated use constraining operational time.•Larger coil size and higher stimulation power exacerbate heat induced constraints.•A pre-chilled condensation free heat sink can mitigate overheating.•Heat sinks have a practical benefit to TMS experimental design. Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) produces magnetic pulses by passing a strong electrical current through coils of wire. Repeated stimulation accumulates heat, which places practical constraints on experimental design. New method: We designed a condensation-free pre-chilled heat sink to extend the operational duration of transcranial magnetic stimulation coils. Results: The application of a pre-chilled heat sink reduced the rate of heating across all tests and extended the duration of stimulation before coil overheating, particularly in conditions where heat management was problematic. Comparison with existing method: Applying an external heat sink had the practical effect of extending the operational time of TMS coils by 5.8–19.3 minutes compared to standard operating procedures. Conclusion: Applying an external heat sink increases the quantity of data that can be collected within a single experimental session.