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Updated: Jan 4, 2026
High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
Published on: September 26, 2025
Can Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Increase Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential Responses?
Do Won Kim1, Euijin Kim2, Chany Lee3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering Sciences, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Korea.
Background:
It has been frequently reported that non-negligible numbers of individuals have steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) responses of low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) to specific stimulation frequencies, which makes detection of the SSVEP difficult especially in brain-computer interface applications. We investigated whether SSVEP can be modulated by anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) of the visual cortex.
Methods:
Each participant participated in two 20-min experiments-an actual tDCS experiment and a sham tDCS experiment-that were conducted on different days. Two representative electroencephalogram (EEG) features used for the SSVEP detection, SNR and amplitude, were tested for pre- and post-tDCS conditions to observe the effect of the anodal tDCS.
Results:
The EEG features were significantly enhanced by the anodal tDCS for the electrodes with low pre-tDCS SNR values, whereas the effect was not significant for electrodes with relatively higher SNR values.
Conclusion:
Anodal tDCS of the visual cortex may be effective in enhancing the SNR and amplitude of the SSVEP response especially for individuals with low-SNR SSVEP.
