Analysis of cerebral electrical propagation generated by deep brain stimulation using finite elements

• Published in: Journal of physics. Conference series 2020-10, Vol.1671 (1), p.12007
• Main Authors: Devia, D M, Mesa, F, Ospina, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Approximation; Attenuation; Bioelectricity; Brain; Deep brain stimulation; Differential equations; Finite element analysis; Finite element method; Head; Human body; Human motion; Physics; Skull; Software engineering; Stimulation
• ISSN: 1742-6588; 1742-6596
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1671/1/012007

The surgical intervention called deep brain stimulation, is a stereotactic surgery that allows the control of some motor functions in the human body. For its execution it is necessary to make use of software engineering and an understanding of the operation and electrical activation in the brain. Based on the finite element method, this document will provide a solution to the Laplace differential equation that models the electrical potential generated during deep brain stimulation. To achieve this objective, we will initially present the theoretical foundations of the finite element method that include the approximation of Galerkin and the Max Milgram and Poincaré theorems; then assuming that the model of the human head is isotropic and uniform, the brain regions will be modeled with the characteristics of the environment (external skin of the skull, skull and brain) in such a way that the attenuation, direction and value of the potential a can be visualized as it changes material and moves along the surfaces that make up the human head model. The simulations obtained using the finite element method allowed determining which areas of the brain are involved by the interaction of potential sources, observing that bioelectric sources originate electrochemical activity in brain cells that are inactive in such a way that they generate controlled movements in the human body.