Using a Pulse Protocol to Fix the Individual Dosage of Transcranial and Transspinal Direct Current Electrical...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuromodulation
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Non-invasive brain and spinal cord stimulation protocols exhibit significant differences.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is predominant for brain stimulation, while pulsed spinal cord stimulation (psSC) is common for the spinal cord.
• Existing protocols vary in stimulation intensity and application, with tDCS often using fixed amplitude and psSC employing individualized thresholds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of adapting psSC thresholding techniques for optimizing direct current stimulation parameters in both brain and spinal cord applications.
• To investigate methods for achieving more homogeneous data in transcranial direct current stimulation studies.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of existing tDCS and psSC protocols.
• Proposal of a novel approach integrating psSC thresholding methodology for direct current dose adjustment.
• Focus on adjusting stimulation intensity based on individual response thresholds.

Main Results:

• Current protocols for brain and spinal cord stimulation are distinct, particularly in stimulation intensity parameters.
• Individualized thresholding, common in psSC, offers a potential model for refining tDCS parameter selection.
• Implementing threshold-based adjustments could enhance the consistency and comparability of tDCS data.

Conclusions:

• The methodology used for determining thresholds in psSC can inform and improve the standardization of direct current stimulation protocols for both the brain and spinal cord.
• Adopting a threshold-based approach for tDCS may lead to more reliable and reproducible research findings.
• This strategy has the potential to bridge the gap between current brain and spinal cord non-invasive stimulation techniques.