title: Ten minutes of 1 mA transcranial direct current stimulation was well tolerated by children and adolescents: Self-reports and resting state EEG analysis.
abstract: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising and well-tolerated method of non-invasive brain stimulation, by which cortical excitability can be modulated. However, the effects of tDCS on the developing brain are still unknown, and knowledge about its tolerability in children and adolescents is still lacking. Safety and tolerability of tDCS was assessed in children and adolescents by self-reports and spectral characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Nineteen typically developing children and adolescents aged 11-16 years participated in the study. Anodal and cathodal tDCS as well as sham stimulation were applied for a duration of 10 min over the left primary motor cortex (M1), each with an intensity of 1 mA. Subjects were unable to identify whether they had received active or sham stimulation, and all participants tolerated the stimulation well with a low rate of adverse events in both groups and no serious adverse events. No pathological oscillations, in particular, no markers of epileptiform activity after 1mA tDCS were detected in any of the EEG analyses. In summary, our study demonstrates that tDCS with 1mA intensity over 10 min is well tolerated, and thus may be used as an experimental and treatment method in the pediatric population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UK-SH), Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: moliadze@med-psych.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Moliadze
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Saskia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andreas
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UK-SH), Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lyzhko
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schmanke
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UK-SH), Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Tea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gurashvili
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Freitag
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UK-SH), Campus Kiel, Preußerstraße 1-9, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy Goethe-University, Deutschordenstr. 50, D-60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siniatchkin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D012146:Rest; D057566:Self Report; D013995:Time; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods
keywords: Adolescent; Child; Safety; Transcranial direct current stimulation; Transcranial magnetic stimulation