Developing consolidated guidelines for reporting and evaluation of studies using transcranial electrical stimulation...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuromodulation
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is a common non-invasive brain modulation technique.
• Existing tES studies suffer from methodological inconsistencies, hindering reproducibility.
• There's a lack of standardized guidelines for reporting and controlling tES study parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop Consolidated Guidelines for Reporting and Evaluation of studies using tES (CoRE-tES).
• To create a tool for assessing the methodological quality and reporting of tES studies.
• To enhance quality, consistency, replication, and transparency in tES research.

Main Methods:

• A five-stage development process for CoRE-tES.
• Literature review to assess current tES methodological and reporting quality (Stage 1).
• Delphi process with international experts to identify key reporting items (Stage 2).
• Consensus meeting to prioritize items and form the guidelines (Stage 3).
• Production of the final checklist and accompanying documents (Stage 4).
• Dissemination through publications, conferences, and social media (Stage 5).

Main Results:

• The study outlines a structured approach to developing standardized guidelines for tES research.
• The process involves expert consensus to ensure comprehensive and relevant recommendations.
• The developed CoRE-tES tool will address current heterogeneity in tES studies.

Conclusions:

• CoRE-tES guidelines will standardize reporting and evaluation of tES studies.
• Implementation of CoRE-tES is expected to improve research quality and reproducibility.
• The guidelines will cover various tES modalities, including tDCS, tACS, and tRNS.