Supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at home: A guide for clinical research and practice
Leigh E Charvet, Michael T Shaw, Marom Bikson, Adam J Woods, Helena Knotkova, Leigh E Charvet, Michael T Shaw, Marom Bikson, Adam J Woods, Helena Knotkova
Abstract
Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a method of noninvasive neuromodulation and potential therapeutic tool to improve functioning and relieve symptoms across a range of central and peripheral nervous system conditions. Evidence suggests that the effects of tDCS are cumulative with consecutive daily applications needed to achieve clinically meaningful effects. Therefore, there is growing interest in delivering tDCS away from the clinic or research facility, usually at home.
Objective: To provide a comprehensive guide to operationalize safe and responsible use of tDCS in home settings for both investigative and clinical use.
Methods: Providing treatment at home can improve access and compliance by decreasing the burden of time and travel for patients and their caregivers, as well as to reach those in remote locations and/or living with more advanced disabilities.
Results: To date, methodological approaches for at-home tDCS delivery have varied. After implementing the first basic guidelines for at-home tDCS in clinical trials, this work describes a comprehensive guide for facilitating safe and responsible use of tDCS in home settings enabling access for repeated administration over time.
Conclusion: These guidelines provide a reference and standard for practice when employing the use of tDCS outside of the clinic setting.
Keywords: At-home tDCS; Best practices in tDCS; Non-invasive brain stimulation; Remotely supervised tDCS; Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS); tDCS safety guide.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of competing interest Authors Leigh Charvet, Michael Shaw, Adam Woods, and Helena Knotkova declare no conflicts of interest. The City University of New York (CUNY) has IP on a neurostimulation system and methods with Marom Bikson as inventor. Marom Bikson has equity in Soterix Medical Inc and serves as a consultant for Boston Scientific, GHK, and Mecta.
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Source: PubMed