Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) Mechanisms and Protocols

Autor: Amir V. Tavakoli, Kyongsik Yun
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Vol 11 (2017)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1662-5102
DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00214
Popis: Perception, cognition and consciousness can be modulated as a function of oscillating neural activity, while ongoing neuronal dynamics are influenced by synaptic activity and membrane potential. Consequently, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may be used for neurological intervention. The advantageous features of tACS include the biphasic and sinusoidal tACS currents, the ability to entrain large neuronal populations, and subtle control over somatic effects. Through neuromodulation of phasic, neural activity, tACS is a powerful tool to investigate the neural correlates of cognition. The rapid development in this area requires clarity about best practices. Here we briefly introduce tACS and review the most compelling findings in the literature to provide a starting point for using tACS. We suggest that tACS protocols be based on functional brain mechanisms and appropriate control experiments, including active sham and condition blinding.
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