Field-Based Characterization of Temporal Interference Stimulation: Beyond the Target-Centric Perspective
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Purpose
Temporal interference (TI) stimulation is a promising non-invasive technique for deep brain neuromodulation, yet accurately characterizing its complex and spatially distributed electric fields remains a fundamental challenge. This study proposes a computational framework that integrates topological analysis with mesh-aware metrics to overcome the limitations of conventional global field descriptors.
Methods
The method introduces three interconnected components: connected component analysis, which extracts spatially continuous field regions above thresholds; discrete ellipsoid modeling, which quantifies the geometric centroid, directional spread, and anisotropy of each region; and Local Moran’s I to identify robust spatial clusters. The framework was applied to TI envelope field simulations using a tetrahedral head model.
Results
The few largest connected components above an elevated intensity threshold collectively delineate the effective stimulation targets more reliably than isolated field peaks. The approach provides highly interpretable visual outputs that directly map field topology to brain anatomy, including layered component maps, discrete ellipsoids, and clustering maps of field extrema.
Conclusion
By offering a topologically coherent and visually intuitive analytical toolbox, this work advances the precision and interpretability of TI field assessment, supporting target localization, focality quantification, and parameter exploration in translational neuromodulation research.
