Magnetic stimulator with skullcap-shaped coil

Abstract

A magnetic stimulator comprising a skullcap-shaped magnetic stimulator coil (13) connected to a suitable power supply (15) is disclosed. More specifically, the coil (13) is wound from bottom to top such that its shape defines a skullcap, i.e., a somewhat flat truncated cone with sides that curve slightly outwardly. While flexible enough to be coiled, the wire (21) used to create the coil has a relatively large AC carrying capacity for its size. The preferred wire is litz wire, or copper strip wire, i.e., wire that has a large periphery/cross-sectional area ratio. A layer of suitably soft material (23) is located on the inside of the coil (13) to provide a cushion between the coil and a human cranium (17) positioned beneath the coil (13). When triggered, the power supply produces sinusoidally fluctuating electrical power adequate to create a magnetic field suitable for stimulating the deeply located neurons (17) of a human cranium (17) positioned beneath the skullcap-shaped coil (13), i.e., adequate to create a neuron depolarizing electric field deeply within the cranium.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.