CN117042837A

CN117042837A - Non-invasive electrical stimulation method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN117042837A
Application number: CN202180095643.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李昌东
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-10-29
Filing date: 2021-12-14
Publication date: 2023-11-10
Also published as: KR20240081455A; KR20230077354A

Abstract

The invention relates to a non-invasive electrical stimulation method and device, the method comprising: a step of arranging a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electric stimulation, and a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode; and adjusting at least one of an angle (θ) at which the current between the first electrode and the second electrode crosses the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet and a strength (B) of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet.

Description

Non-invasive electrical stimulation method and apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for non-invasively applying electrical stimulation by attaching electrodes to specific parts of the human body.

Background

Examples of the method for stimulating the cranial nerve for a specific therapeutic effect include deep electric stimulation (deep electrical stimulation), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation), transcranial electric stimulation (TES, transcranial electrical stimulation), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation), and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS, transcranial random noise stimulation).

Deep brain stimulation (DBS, deep brain stimulation) is a surgical/invasive treatment method in which a medical device called a brain pacemaker is implanted into the brain, and the brain pacemaker measures signals of the brain and applies electrical stimulation to a specific part of the brain.

Such Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is known to be effective in the treatment of chronic pain, parkinson's disease, tremors, dystonia, etc., but at the same time potentially has serious side effects and risks of complications.

On the other hand, non-invasive vagal stimulation (nnns, noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation), external trigeminal stimulation (e-TNS, external trigeminal nerve stimulation), transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and the like are equivalent to non-invasive therapeutic methods.

The non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nnns) is a treatment method for stimulating the vagus nerve connected to the central nerve externally by a non-invasive method to contribute to the autonomic nerve function and the activity of the brain neural network, and is a treatment method for stimulating the vagus nerve under the skin of the ear or neck to indirectly stimulate the brain, affecting the functions of serotonin, norepinephrine, and the like related to mood adjustment.

The external trigeminal stimulation (e-TNS) is a therapeutic method for regulating brain regions related to mood adjustment by stimulating branches of trigeminal nerve on the face such as forehead, and is useful for migraine and depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is used to apply a very short magnetic field with a duration of less than 1 millisecond (ms) for a magnetic coil located on the surface of the head, a magnetic field of approximately 1 to 2 tesla (tesla) strength inducing a very short current flow through the cranium.

On the other hand, the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a therapeutic method in which weak direct current stimulation is applied to the brain surface via electrodes located on the scalp, thereby causing spontaneous activity of nerve cells, normalizing brain functions, and alleviating symptoms. It is helpful when the effect of medication is insufficient or when medication is difficult to use due to side effects of medication.

The treatment method using the electric stimulation as described above is applied to various regions for a long time, but the human body is composed of various substances, and the distribution of dielectric constants varies depending on the body part, and it is difficult to apply the electric current stimulation to a desired position, and therefore, the treatment method is generally applied to treatment in which stimulation of a specific target part such as muscle contraction is not required, or is applied in a form in which an electrode is directly inserted to a desired position by an invasive method, or is applied by adjusting the position of the electrode so that the path of the electric current can pass through the desired position.

On the other hand, non-invasive brain nerve stimulation such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has advantages such as increased cost and convenience for the patient as compared with invasive methods, but has disadvantages in that an accurate path of current must be calculated, unnecessary stimulation may be applied to unnecessary parts, electrodes are difficult to adhere to the skin in parts where hair is present, and there is a risk of burn caused by concentration of electric energy.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present invention aims to provide a non-invasive electrical stimulation method and device capable of easily stimulating a desired site.

Technical proposal

In an electrical stimulation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, an electrode is attached to a human body, and electrical stimulation is applied non-invasively, comprising: a step of disposing a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electric stimulation, and a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode; and adjusting at least one of an angle θ at which the current between the first and second electrodes crosses the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets and a strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets.

The first magnet and the second magnet may be composed of permanent magnets or electromagnets having different polarities.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electro-stimulation device for attaching electrodes to a human body, non-invasively applying electro-stimulation, includes: an electrode section including a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electrical stimulation; a magnetic force generating unit including a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a control unit that adjusts at least one of an angle θ at which a current between the first and second electrodes crosses a magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets and a strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets.

On the other hand, at least a part of the steps in the above-described non-invasive electrical stimulation method may be implemented by a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for running in a computer, and may be provided by the program itself.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of magnets are arranged such that the current and the magnetic field direction intersect, and the depth of the current path is changed by adjusting the angle of intersection or the intensity of the magnetic field, so that the target site of the brain can be easily stimulated without changing the position of the electrode for electrical stimulation.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the electrodes provided on the inner side surfaces of the curved electrode portions are brought into contact with the forehead portion of the human body, and the electric stimulation is stably applied to the brain, and the depth of the current path between the electrodes is adjusted by the magnets disposed on the inner side surfaces of the electrode portions together with the electrodes, so that the electric stimulation can be applied to the brain target portions of various depths even in a state where the electrodes are in contact with the forehead.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the overall structure of a non-invasive electrical stimulation device according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the arrangement of the electrodes and the magnets.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a current path between electrodes.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a non-invasive electrical stimulation method in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a method of adjusting an angle θ at which a current and a magnetic field intersect.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a method of changing the depth of a current path between electrodes.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a method of adjusting the intensity B of a magnetic field.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the overall structure of the non-invasive electrical stimulation system according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 to 11 are views showing another embodiment of the structure of the electro-stimulation device according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a non-invasive electrical stimulation method and apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that a specific description of a known function or structure is likely to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Also, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may be different according to intention or convention of a user, an operator, or the like. And thus its definition should be based on the full text of the present invention.

In order to effectively explain the technical elements for realizing the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention to be implemented below are provided in each system functional configuration, or a system functional configuration generally provided in the art to which the present invention belongs is omitted as much as possible, and a functional configuration to be additionally provided for the present invention will be mainly described.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will readily understand the functions of components that have been conventionally used in functional configurations that are not shown below, and will also understand the relationship between components that are omitted as described above and components that are added for the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the overall structure of a non-invasive electrical stimulation device according to the present invention, and the electrical stimulation device 10 may include a control section 100, an electrode section 200, a magnetic force generation section 300, and a storage section 400.

The electro-stimulation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a transcranial direct current stimulation device (tDCS), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to various devices for non-invasively applying electro-stimulation using electrodes attached to a human body, such as a vagus nerve stimulation device (nnns), a transcranial random noise stimulation device (tRNS), and the like.

For example, the electro-stimulation device 10 may be a device that attaches electrodes to the head of a user or wears the device on the head of the user and applies electro-stimulation to the brain, and causes an electric current to flow at a specific position in the head of the user, thereby applying electro-stimulation to a target region of the brain as a target.

In the following, the embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking the electrical stimulation device 10 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable when electrical stimulation is applied to a specific portion other than the brain.

Referring to fig. 1, the control unit 100 can control the overall operation of the electro-stimulation device 10, and can control the operations such as the start and end of the electrode unit 200.

The electrode part 200 is used to apply electrical stimulation to a user's human body, and may include a first electrode and a second electrode attached to a specific portion of the human body.

For example, the first electrode and the second electrode are each composed of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and a current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode forms a current path at a predetermined depth on the brain surface, so that direct current stimulation can be applied to a specific part of the brain.

On the other hand, the magnetic force generating unit 300 is configured to generate a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode, and may include a first magnet and a second magnet.

The first magnet and the second magnet are disposed adjacent to the first electrode and the second electrode, and the current path between the first electrode and the second electrode is influenced, so that the target site to which the electrical stimulation is applied can be adjusted by changing the current path.

For example, the first magnet and the second magnet may be composed of permanent magnets or electromagnets having different polarities, respectively.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the electrodes and the magnets may be arranged such that a first line connecting the centers of the positive electrode 210 and the negative electrode 220, which are the first electrode and the second electrode, and a second line connecting the centers of the N-pole magnet 310 and the S-pole magnet 320, which are the first magnet and the second magnet, intersect each other at a predetermined angle θ.

Thus, the current direction between the positive electrode 210 and the negative electrode 220 and the direction of the magnetic field formed by the N-pole magnet 310 and the S-pole magnet 320 can intersect each other at a predetermined angle θ.

As described above, when the current direction between the first and second electrodes crosses the magnetic field direction formed by the first and second magnets, the intensity of the magnetic force applied to the current path may be as shown in the following equation 1.

Equation 1

F＝qvB(sinθ)＝iL×B(sinθ)

In table 1, L means the magnitude of the current, B means the strength of the magnetic field, and θ means the angle at which the direction of the current and the direction of the magnetic field intersect.

That is, the strength of the magnetic force applied to the current path between the first electrode and the second electrode by the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet can be changed according to the crossing angle θ and the strength B of the magnetic field.

Specifically, when the crossing angle θ of the current and the magnetic field is 90 degrees, the intensity of the magnetic force is maximized, and the closer to 0 degrees or 180 degrees from 90 degrees, the intensity of the magnetic force is decreased.

The strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet increases, and the strength of the magnetic force applied to the current path increases.

Referring to fig. 3, the current path between the positive electrode 210 and the negative electrode 220 has a predetermined depth d, and electrical stimulation may be applied to a specific portion of the brain inside the current path at the surface to which the electrodes 210, 220 are attached.

Wherein, as described above, when the intensity of the magnetic force applied to the current path between the electrodes 210, 220 is changed by the magnets 310, 320, the depth d of the current path between the electrodes 210, 220 can be adjusted.

Thus, the control unit 100 can adjust the depth d of the current path between the electrodes by adjusting the angle θ at which the current between the first electrode and the second electrode intersects the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet or the strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet.

As described above, if the depth d of the current path between the electrodes is adjusted, the target area inside the brain of the electric stimulation can be changed, thereby forming a deeper current path on the skin surface to apply the electric stimulation to the deep brain, or the application of the electric stimulation to unnecessary parts can be prevented.

On the other hand, the storage unit 400 may store software for the operation of the control unit 100 as described above, or a study protocol (protocol) for electrical stimulation.

According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, the plurality of electrodes and the plurality of magnets are arranged such that the current and the magnetic field directions intersect, and the depth of the current path is changed by adjusting the angle of intersection or the strength of the magnetic field, so that the target site can be easily stimulated without changing the position of the electrode for electrical stimulation.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the non-invasive electrical stimulation method according to the present invention is described in more detail with reference to fig. 4 to 7.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a non-invasive electrical stimulation method according to the invention by means of a flow chart, omitting the same as described above with reference to fig. 1-3 in the method shown.

Referring to fig. 4, a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electric stimulation, and a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged (step S400).

Then, at least one of an angle θ at which the current between the first electrode and the second electrode and the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet intersect and the strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet is adjusted (step S410).

For example, the step S410 of adjusting the crossing angle θ or the magnetic field intensity B may be modified at a time point when the operation of the electro-stimulation device 10 is started or a time point when a brain target area to be electro-stimulated is changed or during calibration (calibration) of the electro-stimulation device 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of adjusting the angle θ at which a current and a magnetic field intersect.

Referring to fig. 5, the crossing angle θ of the current between the electrodes 210, 220 and the magnetic field of the magnet increases in the order of (a), (b), and (c), and the crossing angle θ may be 90 degrees in (c) of fig. 5.

As such, the crossing angle θ of the current and magnetic field is increased, the closer it is to 90, the greater the depth of the current path between the electrodes 210, 220.

For example, when the first and second magnets 310 and 320 are made of permanent magnets of N and S poles, respectively, the positions of the first and second magnets 310 and 320 are moved in a state where the attachment positions of the electrodes 210 and 220 are fixed, whereby the angle θ between the first line connecting the centers of the first and second electrodes 210 and 220 and the second line connecting the centers of the first and second magnets 310 and 320 is changed, and at this time, the depth of the current path between the first and second electrodes 210 and 220 increases as the crossing angle θ approaches 90 degrees.

Fig. 6 (a), (b), and (c) show examples of current paths corresponding to the intersection angles θ shown in fig. 5 (a), (b), and (c), respectively, and show that the depth of the current path increases as the intersection angle θ increases, which is closer to 90 degrees.

On the other hand, when the first and second magnets 310 and 320 are formed of electromagnets, the angle θ between the first line connecting the centers of the first and second electrodes 210 and 220 and the second line connecting the centers of the first and second magnets 310 and 320 is changed by moving the positions of the first and second magnets 310 and 320 in a state where the attachment positions of the electrodes 210 and 220 are fixed, so that the crossing angle θ can be adjusted so as to be closer to 90 degrees, and the depth of the current path between the first and second electrodes 210 and 220 increases.

As described above, the depth of the current path is increased by adjusting the crossing angle θ, the target area of the electrical stimulation is deepened.

Fig. 7 is shown for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of a method of adjusting the strength B of a magnetic field.

Referring to fig. 7, the intensity B of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets 310 and 320 may be adjusted to increase in the order of (a), (B), and (c).

For example, when the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 are composed of electromagnets, the current path depth between the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 can be adjusted by changing the magnitude of the current supplied to the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 in a state where the attachment positions of the electrodes 210 and 220 are fixed.

As described above, when the magnitude of the current supplied to the first and second magnets 310 and 320 is changed to increase the intensity B of the electric field, the depth of the current path between the first and second electrodes 210 and 220 increases as shown in (a), (B), and (c) of fig. 6.

As described above, the depth of the current path is increased by adjusting the magnetic field strengths B of the first and second magnets 310 and 320, the target area of the electrical stimulation is deepened.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the overall structure of a non-invasive electrical stimulation system in accordance with the present invention, which may include an electrical stimulation apparatus 10 and a control apparatus 500. The same description as that described with reference to fig. 1 to 9 in the construction and operation of the electro-stimulation device 10 shown in fig. 10 will be omitted hereinafter.

Referring to fig. 8, the electro-stimulation device 10 may be a transcranial direct current stimulation device (tDCS), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to various devices for non-invasively applying electro-stimulation using electrodes in contact with a human body, such as a vagus nerve stimulation device (nnns) and a transcranial random noise stimulation device (tRNS).

For example, the electrical stimulation apparatus 10 may be an apparatus that applies electrical stimulation to the brain by bringing an electrode into contact with the forehead portion of the user, thereby allowing an electric current to flow at a specific position in the head of the user, and may apply electrical stimulation to a target region of the brain as a target.

The electro-stimulation device 10 has a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electro-stimulation, and the control device 500 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the electro-stimulation device 10 and transmits the control signal to the electro-stimulation device 10.

The electrical stimulation apparatus 10 and the control apparatus 500 may be wired or wirelessly connected to transmit and receive signals and data.

Specifically, the electro-stimulation device 10 includes an electrode portion having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a first magnet and a second magnet disposed on an inner surface having a curved shape, the first magnet and the second magnet being configured to form a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode.

On the other hand, the control device 500 supplies a control signal for adjusting at least one of the angle θ at which the current between the first electrode and the second electrode intersects the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet and the strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet and the second magnet to the electrode portion of the electro-stimulation device 10.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the structure of the electro-stimulation device according to the present invention is described with reference to fig. 9 to 11.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the electro-stimulation device 10 may be worn so as to contact the electrode with the forehead portion of the human body, and may include an electrode portion 110 and a fixing portion 130.

The electrode portion 110 has a first electrode 210 and a second electrode 220 for applying electrical stimulation provided on an inner surface S thereof, and the inner surface S is curved so that the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 are in contact with the forehead portion of the human body, and a first magnet 310 and a second magnet 320 for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode 210 and the second electrode 220 are disposed on the inner surface S.

The fixing portion 130 is used to fix the electrode portion 110 to the forehead portion, and may be in a belt shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The electro-stimulation device 10 may include a control portion for adjusting an angle θ at which the current between the first and second electrodes 210, 220 and the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets 310, 320 intersect or a strength B of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets.

For example, the control unit may be implemented by an IC chip formed with a circuit for adjusting at least one of the crossing angle θ and the intensity B of the magnetic field, and may be provided inside the electrode unit 110, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the control device 500 includes a plurality of buttons for receiving user inputs and a display for displaying the operation states of the electro-stimulation device 10 and the control device 500, and may have an IC chip inside which control signals for controlling the operation of the electro-stimulation device 100 are generated.

For example, the control device 500 may transmit a control signal to the electro-stimulation device 10 by using a cable (not shown) connected to the electrode portion 110 of the electro-stimulation device 10, but the electro-stimulation device 10 and the control device 500 may transmit and receive signals by using a short-range wireless communication technology such as bluetooth (blue).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control device 500 receives a target area of a brain to be treated or to be electrically stimulated, which is input by a user, calculates a depth of a current path corresponding to the user input, and transmits information about a crossing angle θ or a strength B of a magnetic field, which may form the calculated depth of the current path, to the electrode part 110 of the electro-stimulation device 10 as a control signal.

On the other hand, the electrode section 110, which receives a control signal from the control device 500, controls the internal control section, and moves the positions of the first and second magnets 310, 320 according to the crossing angle θ included in the control signal, so that the current between the first and second electrodes 210, 220 and the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets 310, 320 can cross at the angle θ.

The electrode portion 110 is adjustable such that the internal control portion changes the current value supplied to the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 so that the strength of the magnetic field formed by the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 has the strength B.

Referring to fig. 11, in order to maximize the influence of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets 310 and 320 on the current between the first and second electrodes 210 and 220, the interval b between the first and second magnets 310 and 320 may be set to be greater than the respective widths a of the first and second electrodes 210 and 220.

When the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 are each composed of a permanent magnet, the width c of each of the first magnet 310 and the second magnet 320 can be set according to the strength of the magnetic field required.

The method according to an embodiment of the present invention described above may be made by a program for running in a computer. The program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a magnetic tape, a flexible disk, or an optical data storage device.

The computer-readable recording medium is dispersed in a network-connected computer system, and the computer-readable code can be stored in a dispersed manner to be operated. Also, functional (function) programs, codes, and code segments for accomplishing the above methods can be easily inferred by programmers skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Further, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be construed as being solely from the technical spirit or scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of non-invasive electrical stimulation for attaching electrodes to a human body for non-invasive application of electrical stimulation, comprising:

a step of arranging a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electrical stimulation to a human body, and a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

and adjusting at least one of an angle (θ) at which the current between the first and second electrodes crosses the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets and a strength (B) of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets.

2. The method of non-invasive electrical stimulation according to claim 1, wherein,

the first magnet and the second magnet are composed of permanent magnets or electromagnets with different polarities.

3. A non-invasive electrical stimulation method according to claim 2, wherein,

when the first and second magnets are composed of permanent magnets, an angle (θ) between a first line connecting centers of the first and second electrodes and a second line connecting centers of the first and second magnets is changed.

4. A non-invasive electrical stimulation method according to claim 2, wherein,

when the first and second magnets are formed of electromagnets, the magnitudes of currents supplied to the first and second magnets are changed to form a magnetic field.

5. The method of non-invasive electrical stimulation according to claim 1, wherein,

the closer the angle (θ) of the intersection is to 90 degrees, the greater the depth of the current path between the first and second electrodes.

6. The method of non-invasive electrical stimulation according to claim 1, wherein,

the greater the strength (B) of the magnetic field, the greater the depth of the current path between the first and second electrodes.

7. A non-invasive electrical stimulation method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that,

the greater the depth of the current path, the deeper the target area of electrical stimulation.

8. A non-invasive electrical stimulation apparatus for attaching electrodes to a human body for non-invasively applying electrical stimulation, comprising:

an electrode section including a first electrode and a second electrode for applying electrical stimulation;

a magnetic force generating unit including a first magnet and a second magnet for forming a magnetic field in a direction intersecting a current direction between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

and a control unit that adjusts at least one of an angle (θ) at which a current between the first and second electrodes crosses a magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets, and a strength (B) of the magnetic field formed by the first and second magnets.

9. The non-invasive electrical stimulation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,

when the first and second magnets are composed of permanent magnets having different polarities, the control unit controls the first and second magnets by moving the positions of the first and second magnets so as to change an angle (θ) between a first line connecting centers of the first and second electrodes and a second line connecting centers of the first and second magnets.

10. The non-invasive electrical stimulation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,

when the first magnet and the second magnet are composed of electromagnets having different polarities, the control unit controls the magnitude of the current supplied to the first magnet and the second magnet to change the magnitude of the current so as to form a magnetic field.

11. The non-invasive electrical stimulation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,

12. The non-invasive electrical stimulation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,