MR Imaging-Assisted Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy

The project aims to develop a DBS-compatible MRI hardware technology to evaluate the therapeutic DBS stimulation mechanisms using functional MRI. The focus is on improving the MR compatibility of DBS through innovative engineering approaches at the hardware level. This includes the use of a special transmitter coil and the development of an add-on system for parallel transmission at 3 Tesla MR field strength to reduce the interaction of electromagnetic fields and implanted electrodes. These hardware procedures should, for the first time, permit the generation of a customized E-field cancellation in order to make the full capacity of MR imaging available to DBS patients.

In the various phases of the project, simulation-based developments will be carried out on the MR transmit system, modern image acceleration techniques will be implemented, and electromagnetic simulations with realistic 3D models will be performed. In addition, anthropomorphic head phantoms are being developed to validate the technologies. The project will collaborate with renowned universities such as Harvard University and Yale University to develop special MR sequences. The scientific goals of the project are to establish a compatibility between MRI and DBS therapy, which should improve the understanding of DBS and enable standard MR imaging for patients with DBS implants.