Development of anatomically accurate brain phantom for experimental validation of stimulation strengths during TMS

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique for diagnosis and treatment of various neurological conditions. However, the lack of realistic physical models to test the safety and efficacy of stimulation from magnetic fields generated by the coils has hindered the development of new TMS treatment and diagnosis protocols for several neurological conditions. We have developed an anatomically and geometrically accurate brain and head phantom with an adjustable electrical conductivity matching the average conductivity of white matter and grey matter of the human brain and the cerebrospinal fluid. The process of producing the phantom starts with segmenting the MRI images of the brain and then creating shells from the segmented and reconstructed model ready for 3-D printing and serving as a mold for the conductive polymer. Furthermore, we present SEM images and conductivity measurements of the conductive polymer composite as well as confirmation of the anatomical accuracy of the phantom with computed tomography (CT) images. Finally, we show the results of induced voltage measurements obtained from TMS on the brain phantom. •Patient specific 3D head models were developed from MRIs.•A PDMS-MWCNT composite polymer with electrical conductivity matching the brain is prepared to fabricate the brain phantom.•An anatomically accurate conductive brain and head phantom was fabricated for experimental verification of TMS.•Stimulation strength of TMS was measured using our brain phantom as induced voltages.