Ferdjallah M, Bostick F X, Barr R E
Electrical Engineering Department, University of Texas at Austin 78712, USA.
IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 1996 Sep;43(9):939-43. doi: 10.1109/10.532128.
Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) has been successfully used for treatment of many psychiatric diseases. Its noninvasive nature is its major advantage over other forms of treatments such as drugs. It is postulated that the low electric current of CES causes the release of neurotransmitters. However, the current pathways have not been extensively investigated. In the following paper, analytical and numerical methods are used to determine the distribution of potential and current density in a four zone concentric spheres model of the human head when excited by two electrodes diametrically opposite to each other. Because of the azimuthal symmetry, which is assumed in this study, a two-dimensional (2-D) finite difference approximation is derived in the spherical grid. The current density distribution is projected around the center of the model, where the thalamus is modeled as a concentric sphere. All dimensions and electrical properties of the model are adapted from clinical data. Results of this simulation indicate that, in contrast to previous beliefs, a small fraction of the CES current does reaches the thalamic area and may facilitate the release of neurotransmitters.
颅电刺激疗法（CES）已成功用于治疗多种精神疾病。其非侵入性是它相对于其他治疗形式（如药物治疗）的主要优势。据推测，CES的低电流会导致神经递质的释放。然而，电流路径尚未得到广泛研究。在以下论文中，采用分析和数值方法来确定当由彼此直径相对的两个电极激发时，人头的四区同心球模型中的电位和电流密度分布。由于本研究中假设的方位对称性，在球形网格中推导了二维（2-D）有限差分近似。电流密度分布投影在模型中心周围，其中丘脑被建模为一个同心球。模型的所有尺寸和电学特性均取自临床数据。该模拟结果表明，与先前的看法相反，一小部分CES电流确实会到达丘脑区域，并可能促进神经递质的释放。
