Effects of Electrode Configurations and Injected Current Intensity on the Electrical Field of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: A Simulation Study

Caroline MacKenbach, Runfeng Tian, Yuan Yang

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technology that modulates the excitability of the brain by delivering weak electric currents to the brain via scalp electrodes. Electrode configuration and injected current intensity are two important parameters in the tDCS design. This simulation study examined three commercially available electrode configurations, i.e. conventional low definition rectangular pad, high-definition Disc, and high-definition 4 x 1 with different electrode distances and different injected current intensity. Simulation results show that increasing the injected current intensity of HD-tDCS mainly increases the electrical field strength for all configurations. Both Disc and 4 x 1 high definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) have better focality than the conventional low-definition rectangular pad. Increasing the inter-electrode distance in HD-tDCS enlarges the electrical field strength and the depth of stimulation but reduces the focality. In motor rehabilitation, a trade-off needs to be made in the tDCS design to allow the electrical field reaching the white matter to facilitate the usage of the cortico-spinal tract without influencing other undesirable regions in the brain.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication42nd Annual International Conferences of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
Subtitle of host publicationEnabling Innovative Technologies for Global Healthcare, EMBC 2020
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages3517-3520
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781728119908
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2020
Externally publishedYes
Event42nd Annual International Conferences of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2020 - Montreal, Canada
Duration: Jul 20 2020Jul 24 2020

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
Volume2020-July
ISSN (Print)1557-170X

Conference

Conference42nd Annual International Conferences of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2020
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityMontreal
Period7/20/207/24/20

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Signal Processing
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Health Informatics

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