The growing trend of "do-it-yourself" transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) poses hidden risks to healthy members of the public who seek to use the technique for cognitive enhancement. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, along with several members of the (cognitive) neuroscience research community warn about such risks involved in home use of tDCS, the application of electrical current to the brain. Their Open Letter will appear in the July 7th issue of Annals of Neurology.

tDCS devices are made up of a band that wraps around one’s head with electrodes placed at specific scalp locations to target specific brain regions which transmit varying levels of electrical current to the brain to achieve the desired result, such as an enhanced state of relaxation, energy, focus, creativity, or a variety of other goals. Because tDCS devices are easily made from simple tools, the practice of self-administered brain stimulation by the lay community has grown in recent years.

Cognitive neuroscience research suggests that tDCS can enhance cognition, and relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other conditions.

“Published results of these studies might lead DIY tDCS users to believe that they can achieve the same results if they mimic the way stimulation is delivered in research studies. However, there are many reasons why this simply isn’t true,” said first author, Rachel Wurzman, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at Penn. “It is important for people to understand why outcomes of tDCS can be unpredictable, because we know that in some cases, the benefits that are seen after tDCS in certain mental abilities may come at the expense of others.”

The “Open Letter” is signed by 39 researchers who share this sentiment, representing an unprecedented consensus among tDCS experts.

“Given the possibility that the improper use of our articles might cause harm, as a community we felt it necessary – an ethical obligation – to explain in a peer-reviewed journal why it is that we generally do not encourage do-it-yourself use of tDCS,” she said.

Their Letter details the scientific community’s many reasons for concern.