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The physiological effects of transcranial electrical stimulation do not apply to parameters commonly used in studies of cognitive neuromodulation

Parkin, BL; Bhandari, M; Glen, JC; Walsh, V; (2019) The physiological effects of transcranial electrical stimulation do not apply to parameters commonly used in studies of cognitive neuromodulation. Neuropsychologia , 128 pp. 332-339. 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.030. Green open access

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Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) have been claimed to produce many remarkable enhancements in perception, cognition, learning and numerous clinical conditions. The physiological basis of the claims for tDCS rests on the finding that 1 mA of unilateral anodal stimulation increases cortical excitation and 1 mA of cathodal produces inhibition. Here we show that these classic excitatory and inhibitory effects do not hold for the bilateral stimulation or 2 mA intensity conditions favoured in cognitive enhancement experiments. This is important because many, including some of the most salient claims are based on experiments using 2 mA bilateral stimulation. The claims for tRNS are also based on unilateral stimulation. Here we show that, again the classic excitatory effects of unilateral tRNS do not extend to the bilateral stimulation preferred in enhancement experiments. Further, we show that the effects of unilateral tRNS do not hold when one merely doubles the stimulation duration. We are forced to two conclusions: (i) that even if all the data on TES enhancements are true, the physiological explanations on which the claims are based are at best not established but at worst false, and (ii) that we cannot explain, scientifically at least, how so many experiments can have obtained data consistent with physiological effects that may not exist.

Type: Article
Title: The physiological effects of transcranial electrical stimulation do not apply to parameters commonly used in studies of cognitive neuromodulation
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.030
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03....
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Cognition, MEPs, TMS, tDCS, tRNS
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Arts and Sciences (BASc)
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10050997
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