In short, we use Diffusion Tensor MRI (DTI) to estimate the electrical conductivity of brain tissue and then apply Finite Element Method (FEM) computational modeling with this conductivity information to predict the electrical impedance measured by an electrode at any location in the brain. Impedances predicted in this manner can be compared with impedances measured during Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery to precisely map out brain tissue and determine the location of electrodes within the brain. This can improve the accuracy and therapeutic efficacy of DBS. Our method of conductivity and impedance modeling also has numerous applications outside DBS.
Our work has been published in the Journal of Neural Engineering and more work is currently underway.