Neuromodulation Model Based on Multi-Electrode Combined Electrical Stimulation and Analysis of Signal Conduction Mechanism

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the diffusion of electrical stimulation signals in human tissue and provide a theoretical basis for multi-electrode combined stimulation. The standard single-layer human head model based on electromagnetic simulation was taken as the geometric structure model. The model filler was assumed to be muscle tissue, and a finite element model with muscle characteristics was established. A 20-mA DC electrical signal was input, and the propagation mechanism of the signal in the simplified brain model was calculated and analyzed through multi-physical field simulation software. The signal was mainly concentrated around the electrode; when multi-electrode combined stimulation was used, signal superposition existed at the geometric center of the model, and the signal was enhanced. Slice interception analysis demonstrated that the signal attenuation intensity was approximately 8 dB/cm in homogeneous muscle tissue. To compare the performance of the single-layer model and multi-layer model, a semi-refined digital brain model was established, and simulated signal diffusion of the two models was analyzed. Comparative analysis found that due to the uneven distribution of tissues and the high shielding property of bone, the signal was highly scattered at the bone contact, but the superposition of signals in the brain center still existed.