title: A technical guide to tDCS, and related non-invasive brain stimulation tools.
abstract: Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), including transcranial direct and alternating current stimulation (tDCS, tACS) are non-invasive brain stimulation techniques increasingly used for modulation of central nervous system excitability in humans. Here we address methodological issues required for tES application. This review covers technical aspects of tES, as well as applications like exploration of brain physiology, modelling approaches, tES in cognitive neurosciences, and interventional approaches. It aims to help the reader to appropriately design and conduct studies involving these brain stimulation techniques, understand limitations and avoid shortcomings, which might hamper the scientific rigor and potential applications in the clinical domain.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Institute on Aging, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: ajwoods@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antal
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bikson
authors.affiliation: Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory and Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Health and Biological Science, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Boggio
authors.affiliation: Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Brunoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Celnik
authors.affiliation: Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Center for Clinical Research Learning, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard University, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fregni
authors.affiliation: Experimental Psychology Lab, Center of excellence Hearing4all, Department for Psychology, Faculty for Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Ammerländer Heerstr, Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Center for Mind & Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kappenman
authors.affiliation: MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Knotkova
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liebetanz
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia & Cognitive Neuroscience Section, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miniussi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering (IBEB), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paulus
authors.affiliation: Direttore Clinica Neurologica III, Università degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Priori
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reato
authors.affiliation: Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stagg
authors.affiliation: Neural Control of Movement Lab, Dept. Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wenderoth
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center, Dept. Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany; Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nitsche
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Design; Methodology review; Safety; Technical guide; Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS); Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS); Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES); Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)