Speaker: Ravi Hadimani, Assistant Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University; Director of Biomagnetics Laboratory
Title: Magnetic Neuromodulation: A Non-Invasive and Safe Treatment for Brain Disorders
Abstract: National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that one in four Americans above the age of 18 suffer from diagnosable neurological disorder. Brain has been treated as a chemical organ for the treatment of neurological diseases by using pharmacological substances and ignoring the electrical part. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a safe non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has been FDA approved to treat depression. Clinical trials are being conducted at various research hospitals using commercial TMS coils to treat Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, TBI, etc. that have shown beneficial effects. We have designed and tested several TMS coil configurations that can stimulate deeper regions of the brain and can stimulate cortex more focally compared to other coil configurations. We are also working on developing TMS procedures that can be used in conjunction with surgically implanted deep brain stimulation probes that are reliably used for treating Parkinson’s disease. We are also working on developing brain phantom that is anatomically realistic and mimics electrical and magnetic properties of the brain. To study the effect of stimulation of different parts of the brain it is essential to conduct phantom and animal studies, especially when stimulating deeper regions of the brain. Our modeling studies have shown that commercial TMS coils are not suitable for stimulating deeper regions of the brain without excessively stimulating the cortex. We have conducted in vivo TMS studies on mice using a commercial animal coil. Our results show that there is a significant increase in neurotransmitters cortical regions of the mouse brain but not in the other regions. We have therefore designed and tested a mouse coil and stimulator that can stimulate selective regions of the deep brain without excessively stimulating the cortical regions. This coil will also enable us to evaluate various neuronal circuits in the brain and thus, aiding the design of TMS protocols for treating different neurological disorders effectively and safely.
Bio: Dr. Hadimani has first class honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kuvempu University, India, MS in Mechatronics from the University of Newcastle, UK and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cardiff University, UK. He has served as a Project Scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Innovation of the University of Bolton, UK. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Iowa State University and was also an Associate of Ames Laboratory. He has developed a hybrid piezoelectric and photovoltaic energy harvester which is capable of harvesting electrical energy from solar, wind and rain energy. This invention was awarded the UK Energy Innovation Award in 2011 which was published in various news articles by BBC, New Scientist and Scientific American. He has also developed and patented piezoelectric polymer fiber that can be woven or knitted into energy harvesting fabric. Dr. Hadimani has been awarded the International Young Scientist Fellowship by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in 2013. He has authored more than 65 peer-reviewed journal publications, 6 current and pending patents and several invited magazine articles and book chapters to date. He is currently an Assistant Professor and the Director of Biomagnetics Laboratory at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering of Virginia Commonwealth University. He has founded the IEEE Joint Magnetics and Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society’s Richmond Chapter and he is the current chair of the chapter.