TY - JOUR
T1 - Focal electrically administered therapy
T2 - Device parameter effects on stimulus perception in humans
AU - Borckardt, Jeffrey J.
AU - Linder, Katherine J.
AU - Ricci, Raffaella
AU - Li, Xingbao
AU - Anderson, Berry
AU - Arana, Ashley
AU - Nahas, Ziad
AU - Amassian, Vahe
AU - Long, James
AU - George, Mark S.
AU - Sackeim, Harold A.
PY - 2009/6
Y1 - 2009/6
N2 - BACKGROUND: Focal electrically administered therapy is a new method of transcranial electrical stimulation capable of focal modulation of cerebral activity. Other than invasive studies in animals and examination of motor output in humans, there are limited possibilities for establishing basic principles about how variation in stimulus parameters impact on patterns of intracortical stimulation. This study used a simpler paradigm and evaluated the effects of different stimulation parameters on subjective perception of the quality and location of scalp pain. METHODS: In 2 studies, 19 subjects were randomly stimulated over the left forehead, varying the anode-cathode arrangement, the intensity of stimulation, the electrode size and placement, and whether the current flow was unidirectional or bidirectional. Subjects rated the location of the sensation and its quality. RESULTS: The perceived center of stimulation moved toward the cathode, regardless of placement. This shift in subjective sensation was more prominent when the electricity was unidirectional. In addition, more intense stimulation, as well as stimulation with a smaller electrode, caused greater perceived pain. Unidirectional stimulation was rated more painful when traveling from a large anode to a small cathode and less painful when traveling from a small anode to a large cathode. Finally, participants were more likely to perceive the electrical stimulation as moving toward a specific direction when the intensity was high than when it was low. CONCLUSIONS: The intensity and location of sensations can be manipulated by varying the intensity, current direction, or geometry of electrodes.
AB - BACKGROUND: Focal electrically administered therapy is a new method of transcranial electrical stimulation capable of focal modulation of cerebral activity. Other than invasive studies in animals and examination of motor output in humans, there are limited possibilities for establishing basic principles about how variation in stimulus parameters impact on patterns of intracortical stimulation. This study used a simpler paradigm and evaluated the effects of different stimulation parameters on subjective perception of the quality and location of scalp pain. METHODS: In 2 studies, 19 subjects were randomly stimulated over the left forehead, varying the anode-cathode arrangement, the intensity of stimulation, the electrode size and placement, and whether the current flow was unidirectional or bidirectional. Subjects rated the location of the sensation and its quality. RESULTS: The perceived center of stimulation moved toward the cathode, regardless of placement. This shift in subjective sensation was more prominent when the electricity was unidirectional. In addition, more intense stimulation, as well as stimulation with a smaller electrode, caused greater perceived pain. Unidirectional stimulation was rated more painful when traveling from a large anode to a small cathode and less painful when traveling from a small anode to a large cathode. Finally, participants were more likely to perceive the electrical stimulation as moving toward a specific direction when the intensity was high than when it was low. CONCLUSIONS: The intensity and location of sensations can be manipulated by varying the intensity, current direction, or geometry of electrodes.
KW - ECT
KW - Focal electrically administered therapy
KW - TMS
KW - tDCS
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67849108460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=67849108460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/YCT.0b013e318183c6a4
DO - 10.1097/YCT.0b013e318183c6a4
M3 - Article
C2 - 19092677
AN - SCOPUS:67849108460
SN - 1095-0680
VL - 25
SP - 91
EP - 98
JO - Journal of ECT
JF - Journal of ECT
IS - 2
ER -