# NeuroSimNIBS: Integrated electric field and neuronal response modeling for transcranial electric and magnetic stimulation

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $572,168

## Abstract

Devices for non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) are increasingly used for treatment of mental health
indications. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is FDA-cleared for the treatment of depression, obsessive
compulsive disorder, and smoking addiction. Two forms of transcranial electric stimulation (TES) are approved
for psychiatric treatment, as well: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression and catatonia and cranial
electrotherapy stimulation (CES) for anxiety and insomnia. Further, there are ongoing clinical trials of other TES
paradigms, as well as new indications for TMS. However, these interventions have limitations including the
variable response to TMS, low efficacy of subthreshold TES, and cognitive side-effects of ECT. A contributing
factor is the lack of understanding of the neural elements and populations engaged by the stimulation, both in
general and within an individual patient. This precludes rational selection of the stimulation dose to target specific
neural elements or to account for individual differences in anatomy. For example, TMS intensity is individualized
based on motor cortex stimulation, which has limited relevance to typical targets in prefrontal cortex. Moreover,
the current amplitude in ECT and other forms of TES is not individualized at all, and anatomical differences thus
result in variable stimulation strengths within the brain. This is in contrast to invasive approaches, such as deep
brain stimulation, where modeling of neural target engagement is an established part of surgical planning and
dose selection. The goal of this project is to develop computational tools to simulate, quantify, and visualize the
direct effects of TMS and TES on neurons in the brains of individual patients. The modeled effects will include
both subthreshold polarization and suprathreshold activation of neural elements by the TMS or TES electric field
(E-field), which comprise the critical mechanistic link to subsequent brain circuit modulation. Aim 1 is to
implement high-fidelity models of cortical neurons as well as cortical and subcortical myelinated axons and place
them in individual head models. The neural models will have morphologies and membrane dynamics optimized
to represent layer- and brain-region-specific neurons, and will be validated with existing experimental data. Since
the computational demands to calculate the response of a large population of neurons are prohibitive, Aim 2 is
to develop and validate computationally efficient estimators of the neural responses to make the simulations
accessible for the average user with limited computational resources. Finally, Aim 3 is to make these simulation
and estimation tools widely available to researchers and clinicians by integrating the neural response
quantifications into the SimNIBS software package for E-field simulation to create an integrated tool termed
NeuroSimNIBS. This user-friendly software will enable researchers and clinicians to develop a better
underst...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10345305
- **Project number:** 1R01MH128422-01
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Warren M. Grill
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $572,168
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10345305

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10345305, NeuroSimNIBS: Integrated electric field and neuronal response modeling for transcranial electric and magnetic stimulation (1R01MH128422-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10345305. Licensed CC0.

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