Ben Ostow

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a technique that uses scalp electrodes to alter neural activity by changing the firing rate of neurons. It can be used to treat a variety of neural conditions such as addiction, depression, and dementia-induced language decline. Current tDCS interventions use a region of interest (ROI)-based approach meaning that electrodes are placed to target specific small brain regions. However, in reality, the brain functions using networks – groups of smaller brain regions that are structurally connected and work together towards common functions – so targeting just one region may not be enough to influence the entire system involved in a condition. 

This is especially relevant for language, which relies on a distributed brain network rather than a single localized area. Therefore, my study aims to find the best tDCS configuration for language rehabilitation using a network-based approach by comparing 25 previously used electrode configurations with my own optimized configurations. I will start by figuring out the smaller brain regions that make up the language network from an online database. Next, I will use a software tool to find the optimal electrode configuration that best stimulates the language network. Finally, I will simulate the current flow generated by each configuration and extract the strength of the electric field within the language network. The configuration with the highest electric field strength in the language network will be deemed the most successful.

A major challenge in this area is that electrodes can vary in shape, size, strength, and placement, making it difficult to determine the optimal tDCS variables. Previous studies that aim to address this question fall short because they fail to work specifically with the language network, the brain network responsible for language tasks, to treat language disorders, only compare a small number of electrode configurations, and do not use this network based approach to propose an optimized electrode configuration.