Transcranial direct current stimulation changes resting state functional connectivity: A large-scale brain network modeling study

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.02.015
• Publication Date: 2016-02-14T07:58:14Z
• Authors: Tim Kunze; Alexander Hunold; Jens Haueisen; Viktor Jirsa; Andreas Spiegler
• Keywords: Dynamic functional connectivity; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Brain stimulation; Neuromodulation

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique for affecting brain dynamics with promising application in the clinical therapy of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's depression, schizophrenia. Resting state increasingly play role assessment connectivity-based pathologies We systematically applied tDCS large-scale network model 74 cerebral areas, investigating spatiotemporal changes dynamic states function structural connectivity changes. Structural was defined by human connectome. The main findings this study are fourfold: Firstly, we found tDCS-induced increase functional among areas EEG sensors, where latter reproduced empirical other researchers. Secondly, analysis suggested synchronization to be mechanism observed effects. Thirdly, that sharpens shifts frequency distribution scalp sensors slightly towards higher frequencies. Fourthly, new emerged through interacting compared an isolated area. propose key underlying pattern formation due tDCS. Our work supports notion able bias competitive interplay subnetworks.