Evaluation of the electric field in the brain during transcranial direct current stimulation: A sensitivity analysis

The use of computational modeling studies accounts currently for the best approach to predict the electric field (E-field) distribution in transcranial direct current stimulation. As with any model, the values attributed to the physical properties, namely the electrical conductivity of the tissues, affect the predicted E-field distribution. A wide range of values for the conductivity of most tissues is reported in the literature. In this work, we used the finite element method to compute the E-field induced in a realistic human head model for two electrode montages targeting the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). A systematic analysis of the effect of different isotropic conductivity profiles on the E-field distribution was performed for the standard bipolar 7×5 cm2 electrodes configuration and also for an optimized multielectrode montage. Average values of the E-field's magnitude, normal and tangential components were calculated in the target region in the left DLPFC. Results show that the field decreases with increasing scalp, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and grey matter (GM) conductivities, while the opposite is observed for the skull and white matter conductivities. The tissues whose conductivity most affects the E-field in the cortex are the scalp and the CSF, followed by the GM and the skull. Uncertainties in the conductivity of individual tissues may affect electric field values by up to about 80%.