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Cited by 93Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesElectroconvulsive Therapy StudiesNeuroscience and Neural Engineering

Effects of electrode drift in transcranial direct current stimulation

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Woods, Adam J., Bryant, Vaughn, Sacchetti, Daniela, Gervits, Felix, Hamilton, Roy·2015·Brain Stimulation
DOI 10.1016/j.brs.2014.12.007PMC PMC4461479
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Abstract

Background Conventional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods involve application of weak electrical current through electrodes encased in saline-soaked sponges affixed to the head using elastic straps. In the absence of careful preparation, electrodes can drift from their original location over the course of a tDCS session. Objective The current paper investigates the influence of electrode drift on distribution of electric fields generated by conventional tDCS. Methods MRI-derived finite element models of electric fields produced by tDCS were used to investigate the influence of incremental drift in electrodes for two of the most common electrode montages used in the literature: M1/SO (motor to contralateral supraorbital) and F3/F4 (bilateral frontal). Based on these models, we extracted predicted current intensity from 20 representative structures in the brain. Results Results from separate RM-ANOVAs for M1/SO and F3/F4 montages demonstrated that 5% incremental drift in electrode position significantly changed the distribution of current delivered by tDCS to the human brain (F's > 8.6, P's < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that as little as 5% drift was able to produce significant differences in current intensity in structures distributed across the brain (P's < 0.03). Conclusions Drift in electrode position during a session of tDCS produces significant alteration in the intensity of stimulation delivered to the brain. Elimination of this source of variability will facilitate replication and interpretation of tDCS findings. Furthermore, measurement and statistically accounting for drift may prove important for better characterizing the effects of tDCS on the human brain and behavior.

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References 38 · Cited by 93

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Authors
Woods, A. J., Bryant, V., Sacchetti, D., Gervits, F., & Hamilton, R.
Affiliations
  • University of Florida (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Woods, Adam J.
ORCID
Venue
Brain Stimulation
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-05
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
515-519
ISSN
  • 1876-4754 (ISSN-L)
  • 1935-861X
DOI
10.1016/j.brs.2014.12.007
PMC
PMC4461479
OpenAlex
W2003741166
Cited by
93
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4
FWCI
3.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Brain stimulation (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1 TR000064, KL2 TR000065)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
Keywords
transcranial direct current stimulation, electrode drift, electric field distribution, finite element analysis, electrode montage, replication
MeSH terms
Brain, Electrodes, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Models, Neurological, Reproducibility of Results, Finite Element Analysis, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

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