Z-brain FEM: A finite element model of zebrafish brain for electromagnetics study

Background: Developmental biology has picked up pace with the introduction of zebrafish as the new model organism in the study of neurological disorders in humans. While its small size and low life span have sped up the development and validation of therapeutics in the pre-screening stage, it also presents the challenge of its adaptability to modern therapeutic technology devised for humans. Such devices must undergo pre-screening through these model organisms; however, the cost incurred in real-life pre-screening and validation is high without a simulation platform. Method: This study presents a first-of-its-kind finite element model of an adult zebrafish brain integrated with real-life zebrafish brain electrical characteristics capable of electromagnetic simulations. The developed model acts as a testing bed for medical equipment manufacturers to develop miniaturized medical equipment to accommodate the zebrafish brain very efficiently. Results: The mesh quality of the developed zebrafish brain (Z-brain) finite element (FE) model is evaluated on the basis of skewness, volume-to-circumference ratio, and curvature skewness of individual mesh elements. The average quality of this non-uniform mesh is 0.6449 with a minimum quality of 0.00495. Although the density of elements with quality below 0.3 and above 0.7 is shown in Figure 8 for visual comparison. Moreover, the Z-brain FE model is tested for convergence, which confirms the numerical stability of the developed Z-brain FE model. Significance: The outcome of this study is, but is not limited to, providing developmental biologists and neurostimulation researchers a platform to perform feasibility analysis of novel miniaturized medical devices.