AUTHOR=Guleyupoglu Berkan , Febles Nicole , Minhas Preet , Hahn Christoph , Bikson Marom 

TITLE=Reduced discomfort during high-definition transcutaneous stimulation using 6% benzocaine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroengineering

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroengineering/articles/10.3389/fneng.2014.00028

DOI=10.3389/fneng.2014.00028

ISSN=1662-6443

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) allows for non-invasive neuromodulation using an array of compact (approximately 1 cm<sup>2</sup> contact area) “High-Definition” (HD) electrodes, as compared to conventional tDCS (which uses two large pads that are approximately 35 cm<sup>2</sup>). In a previous transcutaneous study, we developed and validated designs for HD electrodes that reduce discomfort over &gt;20 min session with 2 mA electrode current.</p><p><bold>Objective:</bold> The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a chemical pretreatment with 6% benzocaine (topical numbing agent) to further reduce subjective discomfort during transcutaneous stimulation and to allow for better sham controlled studies.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Pre-treatment with 6% benzocaine was compared with control (no pretreatment) for 22 min 2 mA of stimulation, with either CCNY-4 or Lectron II electroconductive gel, for both cathodal and anodal transcutaneous (forearm) stimulation (eight different combinations).</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Results show that for all conditions and polarities tested, stimulation with HD electrodes is safe and well tolerated and that pretreatment further reduced subjective discomfort.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Pretreatment with a mild analgesic reduces discomfort during HD-tDCS.</p>