Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2025
Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: An Update on Safety and Tolerability
Published on: October 7, 2017
Safety and Tolerability of tDCS across Different Ages, Sexes, Diagnoses, and Amperages: A Randomized Double-Blind
Derrick M Buchanan1,2,3, Sarah Amare1,2,3, Genevieve Gaumond1,2,3
1Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
Insights
This study found transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to be safe and well-tolerated in children and adults. Results support tDCS as a safe neuromodulation technique for pediatric and adult populations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuromodulation
- Pediatric Research
Background:
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation method.
- Pediatric tDCS research is limited, comprising less than 5% of published studies.
- Understanding tDCS safety in children is crucial for expanding its therapeutic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and acceptability of tDCS in children and adults.
- To compare tDCS outcomes between pediatric and adult participants.
- To test the hypothesis that children and adults exhibit similar tDCS safety profiles.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial involving 60 participants (aged 6-45).
- Participants received two 10-minute tDCS sessions with varied parameters.
- Safety and tolerability assessed via side effect intensity over two weeks; Bayesian analyses used for group comparisons.
Main Results:
- Moderate support for the null hypothesis indicated no significant differences in safety/tolerability between children and adults.
- No serious adverse events or dropouts were reported.
- The number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome was 23, suggesting high safety.
Conclusions:
- tDCS is safe, tolerable, and acceptable for short-term use in both children and adults.
- The findings support the use of tDCS with amperages up to 2 mA and various electrode placements in pediatric populations.
- This study provides crucial evidence for expanding tDCS applications in pediatric neuromodulation.
Abstract:
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with substantial evidence for its safety and tolerability in adults. However, less than 5% of published tDCS research is in pediatrics. Our primary objective was to investigate tDCS safety, tolerability, and acceptability in a sample of children and adults. We hypothesized that children and adults would be equal with regard to tDCS safety, tolerability, and acceptability. We tested this hypothesis using a Bayesian approach. Sixty participants aged 6-45 (balanced for sex) participated in a randomized double-blind controlled trial. They were randomly assigned to two ten-minute tDCS sessions with varying amperages and electrode locations. The primary outcome measure of this study was the intensity of 13 potential side effects evaluated at six different time points spanning two weeks. Independent sample Bayes factor tests were conducted between children/adults, males/females, clinical/healthy, and low/high amperage groups. As predicted, there was moderate support for the null hypothesis in all between-group analyses. There were no serious adverse events or dropouts, and the number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome was 23. This study provided evidence supporting the overall short-term safety, tolerability, and acceptability of tDCS including amperages up to 2 mA and different electrode placements.
More Related Videos
08:18A Protocol for the Use of Remotely-Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation tDCS in Multiple Sclerosis MS
Published on: December 26, 2015
08:53Randomized, Triple-Blind, and Parallel-Controlled Trial of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Cognitive Rehabilitation after Stroke
Published on: June 6, 2025
