Characterizing low-frequency artifacts during transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS).

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Brain Stimulation

Background:

• Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) modulates brain oscillations but faces challenges in simultaneous neurophysiological recording due to electromagnetic artifacts.
• Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) offers non-invasive deep brain stimulation by interfering two high-frequency sine waves.
• Simultaneous recording of brain activity during tACS is difficult because of stimulation-induced artifacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of acquiring neurophysiological data during transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) without significant artifacts.
• To assess potential low-frequency artifacts in neurophysiological recordings during tTIS.
• To provide guidance for designing experimental setups for simultaneous tTIS and brain activity recording.

Main Methods:

• Application of two high-frequency sine waves to induce amplitude-modulated waveforms at a target frequency within the brain.
• Acquisition of neurophysiological data during tTIS using appropriate hardware.
• Careful inspection of recorded data for the presence of low-frequency artifacts.

Main Results:

• Neurophysiological data can be acquired during tTIS with minimal stimulation artifacts at low frequencies, provided appropriate hardware is used.
• Low-frequency artifacts may still be present in the data and require careful inspection.
• The study demonstrates the potential for simultaneous recording of brain activity and tTIS.

Conclusions:

• Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) shows promise for simultaneous brain activity recording, overcoming limitations of tACS.
• Careful data analysis is crucial to identify and mitigate potential low-frequency artifacts.
• These findings facilitate the design of experiments to better understand tTIS mechanisms and applications.