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Inconsistencies in mapping current distribution in transcranial direct current stimulation.

Anita S Jwa1, Jonathan S Goodman2, Gary H Glover3

  • 1Stanford University Law School, Stanford, CA, United States.

Frontiers in Neuroimaging
|August 9, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Investigating transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) current flow reveals significant current bypass in the human brain. This finding may explain inconsistencies in tDCS therapy and cognitive enhancement studies.

Keywords:
current mappingfunctional magnetic resonance imagingnon-invasive neuromodulationtranscranial direct current stimulationtranscranial electrical stimulation

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Physics
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique used for treating neuropsychiatric diseases and enhancing cognition.
  • Recent meta-analyses highlight significant inconsistencies in tDCS study outcomes.
  • A deeper understanding of current flow in the brain is crucial for resolving these discrepancies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To empirically investigate and map the distribution of electrical current induced by tDCS in the human brain.
  • To identify potential reasons for the variability and inconsistencies observed in tDCS research.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a phantom model and in vivo human subjects for tDCS current distribution analysis.
  • Employed magnetic resonance (MR) phase imaging during stimulation to reconstruct the magnetic field.
  • Applied Ampere's law to derive current distribution maps from the magnetic field data.

Main Results:

  • In phantoms, over 75% of injected current followed a clear path between electrodes.
  • In humans, only about 25% of the current reached the cortex, with significant bypass external to the brain.
  • Observed substantial inter-subject and intra-subject variability in human current distribution, unlike in phantom scans.

Conclusions:

  • The developed in vivo current mapping technique shows significant current deviation in the human brain during tDCS.
  • A substantial portion of tDCS current bypasses the target brain regions, potentially due to tissue conductivity variations.
  • These findings offer critical insights into tDCS efficacy and may explain observed inconsistencies in clinical and cognitive studies.