Direct effects of transcranial electric stimulation on brain circuits in rats and humans

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02928-3
• Publication Date: 2018-01-29T22:28:06Z
• Authors: Mihály Vöröslakos; Yuichi Takeuchi; Kitti Brinyiczki; Tamás Zombori; Azahara Oliva; Antonio Fernández...; Gábor Kozák; Zsigmond Tamás Ki...; Béla Iványi; György Buzsáki; Antal Berényi
• Keywords: Subthreshold conduction; Biological neural network; Human brain; Brain stimulation

Transcranial electric stimulation is a non-invasive tool that can influence brain activity; however, the parameters necessary to affect local circuits in vivo remain be explored. Here, we report rodents and human cadaver brains, ~75% of scalp-applied currents are attenuated by soft tissue skull. Using intracellular extracellular recordings rats, find at least 1 mV/mm voltage gradient neuronal spiking subthreshold currents. We designed an 'intersectional short pulse' method inject sufficiently high current intensities into brain, while keeping charge density sensation on scalp surface relatively low. verify regional specificity this novel rodents; humans, demonstrate how it affects amplitude simultaneously recorded EEG alpha waves. Our combined results establish instantaneously affected intensity higher than those used conventional protocols.