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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Simultaneous EEG Monitoring During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Published on: June 17, 2013
Modulation of cortical responses by transcranial direct current stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: A
Pedro Caldana Gordon1, Christoph Zrenner2, Debora Desideri2
1Department of Neurology & Stroke, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM27) and National Institute of Biomarkers in Psychiatry (INBioN), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, R. Dr. Ovídio Pires de Campos, 785, 01060-970, São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with potential for cost-effective therapeutic neuromodulation. Although positive therapeutic effects were found by stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), few studies have investigated physiological effects of DLPFC-tDCS.
Objectives:
To investigate effects of tDCS with different parameter settings applied to the left DLPFC on cortical responses, measured by resting-state electroencephalography (rs-EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked/induced EEG responses.
Methods:
22 healthy subjects underwent 5 tDCS sessions with different tDCS parameter settings in a double-blinded randomized crossover design (1: 1.5 mA, anode left-DLPFC, cathode right-DLPFC; 2: 1.5 mA, cathode left-DLPFC, anode right-DLPFC; 3: 0.5 mA, anode left-DLPFC, cathode right-DLPFC; 4: 1.5 mA, anode left-DLPFC, cathode left deltoid muscle; 5: sham stimulation). Rs-EEG and TMS-EEG were recorded before and after tDCS.
Results:
Rs-EEG power spectrum analysis showed no difference comparing baseline with post stimulation in any of the tDCS conditions. TMS-EEG evoked potential amplitude decreased in parietal cortex after 1.5 mA left-DLPFC anodal tDCS, and TMS-induced gamma and theta oscillations decreased after all conditions using left-DLPFC anodal tDCS. Left-DLPFC cathodal tDCS did not lead to significant change. None of the post-intervention changes was different when comparing the effects across conditions, including sham.
Conclusions:
Our study does not provide evidence that a single tDCS session results in significant changes in rs-EEG, using the current stimulation parameters. Significant changes in EEG responses to TMS pulses were observed following the anodal 1.5 mA tDCS interventions, although these changes were not statistically significant in a group comparison.
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