The Process Of Tdcs Therapy And Its Merits

By Edna Booker


Transcranial direct stimulation is a practice that has been in existence for a while now. It can be carried out at special health units or even by individual therapies at the homes of patients. The whole process entails the stimulation of the brain neurons using some electric current that is passed from one point of the head to the other end. It uses some electrodes which are carefully placed on the head scalp to transmit the direct current through the brain area being stimulated. The tdcs process was initially developed to help patients with brain injuries like strokes.

The practice was first designed to help people diagnosed with brain injuries such as stroke in their therapy. It has however been advanced over the years to help with other various activities. This includes; improving attention span, increasing problem solving ability and reducing memory loss among others. The different effects can be achieved by placing the electrodes at different locations of the head. This leads to the stimulation of different neurons and hence different result are attained. The practice has been proven to be safe for use provided safety protocols are followed.

The treatment simply works by allowing current to pass from one end on the head to the other. This is enabled by the use of a positively charged electrode and a negatively charged one. The electrodes are directed to regions where if the current flows from them and into the brain, it will reach the desired electrodes. The therapist should carefully place them at designated points. Failure to this, different results will be obtained rather than the expected.

The current passed through these neurons is meant to increase their excitement or reduce it. By passing the current from an anode which is the positively charged electrode will lead to an excitement of the neurons. This makes them to be more active and hence the patient will be active in some activities. If the current is passed from the cathode which is negatively charged, the neurons excitement is reduced and thus they become less active.

Given that you have the required equipment and tools for the process; it is quite easy to undertake the procedure. You however need some experience or professional guide in order to conduct it effectively. The powered source will provide you with direct current that flows constantly throughout the procedure. You should also have the electrodes with pads for easy placing on the scalp of your patient.

You should then prepare the skin where the electrodes will be placed at the scalp. This should be done to ensure that the electrodes have a strong connection to the skin for maximum effectiveness. The pads used for connecting the electrodes to the skin are different in styles and designs. The smaller and many in numbers that they are, the better they will be able to create a stronger connection.

One electrode should be placed at the point that needs stimulation and the other on the opposite side of it. The device is then turned on and current let to flow through for some timed period. It can be increased gradually if necessary.

Modern transcranial simulation therapy has advanced to using several electrodes other that the common one which uses two. This enables maximum stimulation. The results from this are thus more long lasting and effective.




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