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Electrode Positioning and Montage in Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Published on: May 23, 2011
Anatomy-informed recommendations for electrode montage and shape in electrical stimulation methods: a tDCS case
Dimitrios Stoupis1,2, Sara Assecondi2,3
1Department of Applied and Environmental Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Journal of Neural Engineering
|February 25, 2026
Summary
This study developed an anatomy-informed framework to optimize transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) by personalizing electrode placement. This approach aims to improve the precision and effectiveness of tDCS for brain neuromodulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows promise for cognitive enhancement and neuromodulation.
- However, its effectiveness is significantly limited by variations in how the electric field (E-field) is distributed across individuals' brains.
- Optimizing E-field delivery to specific brain regions and networks is crucial for improving tDCS outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an anatomy-informed framework for selecting electrode montages and geometries to optimize network-level E-field delivery in tDCS.
- To investigate how individual anatomical features influence tDCS-induced E-field distribution.
- To enhance the precision and reproducibility of tDCS for both research and clinical applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution T1w/T2w MRI data from 590 participants (ages 36-80) from the Human Connectome Project-Aging (HCP-A).
- Extracted key anatomical features: cortical, skull, and cerebrospinal fluid thickness, and sulcal depth.
- Simulated E-fields using finite-element models (SimNIBS 4.1) for common montages in working memory research, analyzing network-level distributions based on the Schaefer atlas.
Main Results:
- Montage choice and individual anatomy significantly impact tDCS E-field distribution and intensity.
- For dorsolateral prefrontal cortex targets, E-fields showed variability in focality and magnitude, often extending beyond the intended area.
- Key anatomical determinants of E-field distribution included gyrification index, cortical, skull, and cerebrospinal fluid thickness, and sulcal depth.
- Executive and default mode networks consistently received suprathreshold E-field magnitudes, but peak E-field varied substantially between individuals.
Conclusions:
- Presented a practical, anatomy-guided workflow for selecting tDCS electrode montages, addressing the need for personalized stimulation.
- This framework can improve tDCS efficacy and reproducibility by accounting for individual anatomical differences.
- The findings highlight the critical role of personalized anatomy in optimizing tDCS targeting and dosing for neuromodulation and cognitive enhancement.
