Can individually targeted and optimized multi-channel tDCS outperform standard bipolar tDCS in stimulating the primary somatosensory cortex?

Khan, Asad; Antonakakis, Marios; Suntrup-Krueger, Sonja; Lencer, Rebekka; Nitsche, Michael A.; Paulus, Walter; Gross, Joachim und Wolters, Carsten H. (2022): Can individually targeted and optimized multi-channel tDCS outperform standard bipolar tDCS in stimulating the primary somatosensory cortex? In: Brain Stimulation, Bd. 16, Nr. 1: S. 1-16

Abstract

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a non-invasive neuro-mod-ulation technique. Most studies show that anodal tDCS increases cortical excitability, however, with variable outcomes. Previously, we have shown in computer simulations that our multi-channel tDCS (mc-tDCS) approach, the distributed constrained maximum intensity (D-CMI) method can potentially lead to better controlled tDCS results due to the improved directionality of the injected current at the target side for individually optimized D-CMI montages.Objective: In this study, we test the application of the D-CMI approach in an experimental study to stimulate the somatosensory P20/N20 target source in Brodmann area 3b and compare it with standard bipolar tDCS and sham conditions.Methods: We applied anodal D-CMI, the standard bipolar and D-CMI based Sham tDCS for 10 min to target the 20 ms post-stimulus somatosensory P20/N20 target brain source in Brodmann area 3b reconstructed using combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) source analysis in realistic head models with calibrated skull conductivity in a group-study with 13 subjects. Finger-stimulated somatosensory evoked fields (SEF) were recorded and the component at 20 ms post-stimulus (M20) was analyzed before and after the application of the three tDCS conditions in order to read out the stimulation effect on Brodmann area 3b. Results: Analysis of the finger stimulated SEF M20 peak before (baseline) and after tDCS shows a sig-nificant increase in source amplitude in Brodmann area 3b for D-CMI (6-16 min after tDCS), while no significant effects are found for standard bipolar (6-16 min after tDCS) and sham (6-16 min after tDCS) stimulation conditions. For the later time courses (16-26 and 27-37 min post-stimulation), we found a significant decrease in M20 peak source amplitude for standard bipolar and sham tDCS, while there was no effect for D-CMI.Conclusion: Our results indicate that targeted and optimized, and thereby highly individualized, mc-tDCS can outperform standard bipolar stimulation and lead to better control over stimulation outcomes with, however, a considerable amount of additional work compared to standard bipolar tDCS.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 1935-861X
• Sprache: Englisch