Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
What is direct current stimulation?
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that utilizes low amplitude direct currents applied via scalp electrodes to inject currents in the brain and thus modulates the level of excitability.
DC stimulation has been used in various forms since the inception of modern electrophysiology at the beginning of nineteenth century. There has been a recent upsurge in interest in tDCS as a tool for neuroscience research, and as a modality for the assessment and treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders.
What are the advantages of tDCS?
tDCS has the distinct advantages of being inexpensive, easy to administer, noninvasive and painless. Recent studies support a therapeutic potential of tDCS in depression, Parkinsonism, stroke recovery, and chronic neuropathic pain.