Mai Lu

Prof. Mai Lu

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

28Years (1999-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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6 June 2017 in PLOS ONE
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MLMai Lu
Mai Lu
SUShoogo Ueno
Shoogo Ueno
Stimulation of deeper brain structures by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) plays a role in the study of reward and motivation mechanisms, which may be beneficial in the treatment of several neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, electric field distributions induced in the brain by deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) are still unknown. In this paper, the double cone coil, H-coil and Halo-circular assembly (HCA) coil which have been proposed for dTMS have been numerically designed. The distributions of magnetic flux density, induced electric field in an anatomically based realistic head model by applying the dTMS coils were numerically calculated by the impedance method. Results were compared with that of standard figure-of-eight (Fo8) coil. Simulation results show that double cone, H- and HCA coils have significantly deep field penetration compared to the conventional Fo8 coil, at the expense of induced higher and wider spread electrical fields in superficial cortical regions. Double cone and HCA coils have better ability to stimulate deep brain subregions compared to that of the H-coil. In the mean time, both double cone and HCA coils increase risk for optical nerve excitation. Our results suggest although the dTMS coils offer new tool with potential for both research and clinical applications for psychiatric and neurological disorders associated with dysfunctions of deep brain regions, the selection of the most suitable coil settings for a specific clinical application should be based on a balanced evaluation between stimulation depth and focality.

5 August 2024 in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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YZYun-Fei Zhang
Yun-Fei Zhang
MLMai Lu
Mai Lu
Magnetic induction hyperthermia (MIH), is a technique that has developed rapidly in recent years in the field of tumor thermotherapy. It implants a magnetic heating medium (millimeter-sized heat seeds, micron-sized magnetic particles and nanometer-sized magnetic fluids, etc.) inside the tumor. The material heats up under the induction of an external alternating magnetic field (100–500 kHz), which causes a high temperature zone to rapidly form in the local biological tissues and induces apoptosis in tumor cells. Magnetic induction hyperthermia has the advantages of high safety, strong targeting, repeatable treatment, and the size of the incision during treatment is negligible compared to surgical resection, and is currently used in clinical treatment. However, the millimeter-scale heat seed heating that is typically used in treatments can result in uneven temperatures within the tissue. Common MIH heating devices are bulky and complex in design, and are not easy for medical staff to get their hands on, which are issues that limit the diffusion of MIH. In this view, this paper will discuss the basic theoretical research on MIH and the progress of MIH-related technologies, with a focus on the latest research and development results and research hotspots of nanoscale ferromagnetic media and magnetic heat therapy devices, as well as the validation results and therapeutic efficacy of the new MIH technology on animal experiments and clinical trials. In this paper, it is found that induction heating using magnetic nanoparticles improves the uniformity of the temperature field, and the magneto-thermal properties of nanoscale ferromagnetic materials are significantly improved. The heating device was miniaturized to simplify the operation steps, while the focusing of the magnetic field was locally enhanced. However, there are fewer studies on the biotoxicity aspects of nanomedicines, and the localized alternating magnetic field uniformity used for heating and the safety of the alternating magnetic field after irradiation of the human body have not been sufficiently discussed. Ultimately, the purpose of this paper is to advance research related to magnetic induction thermotherapy that can be applied in clinical treatment.

31 December 2018 in BioMed Research International
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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YLYa-Wen Lu
Ya-Wen Lu
MLMai Lu
Mai Lu
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) shows significant values in both brain research and therapeutic applications of cognitive neuroscience, neurophysiology, and psychiatry. Animal studies of TMS provide a potential way for learning the biological mechanisms of actions of TMS. In this paper, we presented the comparison of human TMS and rat TMS by using the conventional figure-of-eight coil for the first time. Three-dimensional distributions of magnetic flux density and induced electric field in both virtual human and rat heads were obtained through the 3D impedance method. The results indicated that smaller TMS coils are needed for stimulation of the rat brain. A rat-specific figure-of-eight coil was designed by considering the coil radii, number of coil turns, and the injected coil currents. We found that the numerically designed Fo8 coil can be applied to the rat TMS with improved focality while also keeping high stimulation intensities.

8 September 2025 in Micromachines
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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ZCZhiKai Cao
ZhiKai Cao
MLMai Lu
Mai Lu
With the continuous development of wireless communication technology, the demand for wearable communication devices has rapidly increased. The antenna is one of the key components in communication devices, directly affecting the performance of wearable communication devices. As a result, wearable antenna design has become a research hotspot in recent years. Wearable antennas are widely used in various fields of daily life, including healthcare, sports and entertainment, the internet of things (IoT), and military positioning. In the last decade, related researchers have studied wearable antennas from various perspectives, and this paper summarizes the design and fabrication of wearable antennas more comprehensively and systematically. This review covers material selection, manufacturing techniques, miniaturization technologies, and performance metrics, while addressing key design considerations. It also highlights recent research, applications in critical fields, and future development trends, offering valuable insights for the design and study of wearable antennas.

1 May 2010 in Journal of Applied Physics
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
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MLMai Lu
Mai Lu
SUShoogo Ueno
Shoogo Ueno
The therapeutic staff using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) devices could be exposed to magnetic pulses. In this paper, dependence of induced currents in real human man model on different coil shapes, distance between the coil and man model as well as the rotation of the coil in space have been investigated by employing impedance method. It was found that the figure-of-eight coil has less leakage magnetic field and low current density induced in the body compared with the round coil. The TMS power supply cables play an important role in the induced current density in human body. The induced current density in TMS operator decreased as the coil rotates from parallel position to perpendicular position. Our present study shows that TMS operator should stand at least 110 cm apart from the coil.

6 August 2019 in BMC Neuroscience
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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KZKeying Zhang
Keying Zhang
LGLing Guo
Ling Guo
JZJunping Zhang
Junping Zhang
GAguangzhou an
guangzhou an
YZyan zhou
yan zhou
GDGui-Rong Ding
Gui-Rong Ding
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neural control technology that has become a research hotspot. To facilitate further research of tDCS, the biosafety of 500 μA cathodal tDCS, a controversial parameter in rats was evaluated. 24 animals were randomly divided into two groups: a cathodal tDCS group (tDCS, n = 12) and control group (control, n = 12). Animals in the tDCS group received 5 consecutive days of cathodal tDCS (500 μA, 15 min, once per day) followed by a tDCS-free interval of 2 days and 5 additional days of stimulation, totally two treatments of tDCS for a total of 10 days. Computational 3D rat model was adopted to calculate the current density distributions in brain during tDCS treatment. Essential brain functions including motor function and learning and memory ability were evaluated. Additionally, to estimate the neurotoxicity of tDCS, the brain morphology, neurotransmitter levels and cerebral temperature were investigated. Our results showed that the current density inside the brain was less than 20 A/m2 during tDCS treatment in computational model. tDCS did not affect motor functions and learning and memory ability after tDCS treatment. In addition, no significant differences were found for the tDCS group in hematology, serum biochemical markers or the morphology of major organs. Moreover, tDCS treatment had no effect on the brain morphology, neural structures, neurotransmitter levels or cerebral temperature. 500 μA cathodal tDCS as performed in the present study was safe for rodents.