Delivering Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Away from Clinic: Remotely Supervised tDCS

Abstract

Introduction: To demonstrate the broad utility of the remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (RS-tDCS) protocol developed to deliver at-home rehabilitation for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Stimulation delivered with the RS-tDCS protocol and paired with adaptive cognitive training was delivered to three different study groups of MS patients to determine the feasibility and tolerability of the protocol. The three studies each used consecutively increasing amounts of stimulation amperage (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mA, respectively) and session numbers (10, 20, and 40 sessions, respectively). Results: High feasibility and tolerability of the stimulation were observed for n = 99 participants across three tDCS pilot studies. Conclusions: RS-tDCS is feasible and tolerable for MS participants. The RS-tDCS protocol can be used to reach those in locations without clinic access and be paired with training or rehabilitation in locations away from the clinic. This protocol could be used to deliver tDCS paired with training or rehabilitation activities remotely to service members and veterans.