PNS limits for Human Head-Size MPI systems: Preliminary results

Abstract

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) utilizes kHz-range sinusoidal drive fields to excite magnetic nanoparticles. These time-varying magnetic fields induce electric fields within the human body, which in turn can induce peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), also known as magnetostimulation. In this work, we report the preliminary results of human subject experiments for human head-size MPI systems. These experiments were performed on a solenoidal head coil that achieved an order of magnitude reduction in the voltages needed to generate the targeted magnetic fields.