An Operational Approach for Optimizing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique used for treating brain disorders and enhancing cognitive function.
• Current optimization methods for tDCS montages and currents often focus on single objectives (focality or intensity) and lack electrode number constraints, limiting practical application.
• Existing methods struggle to balance electric field intensity and focality while adhering to the limited number of electrodes available in most tDCS devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an operational optimization approach for well-targeted tDCS.
• To optimize for both electric field (EF) intensity and focality simultaneously.
• To incorporate constraints on the number of electrodes, aligning with current device limitations.

Main Methods:

• Developed an operational optimization approach for tDCS montage and current distribution.
• Implemented a multi-objective optimization strategy focusing on EF intensity and focality.
• Applied constraints on the number of electrodes, utilizing less than 8 electrodes per montage.

Main Results:

• The proposed method significantly improved EF focality compared to traditional tDCS in a cohort of 10 subjects.
• Achieved higher EF intensity in the target region compared to 4x1 high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) using fewer than 8 electrodes.
• Demonstrated the ability to balance EF intensity and focality objectives while reducing optimization time.

Conclusions:

• The novel optimization approach provides a practical solution for achieving well-targeted tDCS.
• The method offers improved EF focality and intensity compared to existing techniques, with fewer electrodes.
• This approach is convenient for practical application due to its balanced objectives and reduced optimization time.