Reduced discomfort during high-definition transcutaneous stimulation using 6% benzocaine

Berkan Guleyupoglu, Nicole Febles, Preet Minhas, Christoph Hahn, Marom Bikson, Berkan Guleyupoglu, Nicole Febles, Preet Minhas, Christoph Hahn, Marom Bikson

Abstract

Background: High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) allows for non-invasive neuromodulation using an array of compact (approximately 1 cm(2) contact area) "High-Definition" (HD) electrodes, as compared to conventional tDCS (which uses two large pads that are approximately 35 cm(2)). In a previous transcutaneous study, we developed and validated designs for HD electrodes that reduce discomfort over >20 min session with 2 mA electrode current.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a chemical pretreatment with 6% benzocaine (topical numbing agent) to further reduce subjective discomfort during transcutaneous stimulation and to allow for better sham controlled studies.

Methods: Pre-treatment with 6% benzocaine was compared with control (no pretreatment) for 22 min 2 mA of stimulation, with either CCNY-4 or Lectron II electroconductive gel, for both cathodal and anodal transcutaneous (forearm) stimulation (eight different combinations).

Results: RESULTS show that for all conditions and polarities tested, stimulation with HD electrodes is safe and well tolerated and that pretreatment further reduced subjective discomfort.

Conclusion: Pretreatment with a mild analgesic reduces discomfort during HD-tDCS.

Keywords: HD-tDCS; direct current stimulation; sensation; tDCS; transcutaneous.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The anodal and cathodal scores are shown with the average for each subject and error bars are representative of standard error. From left to right the conditions shown are: CCNY-4/No Pretreatment (in blue), CCNY-4/Pretreatment (in red), Lectron/No Pretreatment (in green), and Lectron/Pretreatment (in purple). There was a significant difference between the control and pretreatment groups (p = 0.0157).

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Source: PubMed

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