Cutaneous sensation of electrical stimulation waveforms

Background: Skin sensation is the primary factor limiting the intensity of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). It is well established that different waveforms generate different sensations, yet transcranial stimulation has been limited to a relatively small number of prototypical waveforms. Objective: We explore whether alternative stimulation waveforms could substantially reduce skin sensation and thus allow for stronger intensities in tES. Methods: We systematically tested a range of waveforms in a series of 6 exploratory experiments stimulating human adults on the forearm and in one instance on the head. Subjects were asked to rate skin sensation level on a numerical scale from none to extreme. Results: High frequency (>1 kHz) monophasic square wave stimulation was found to decrease in sensation with increasing duty cycle, baseline, and frequency, but the sensation was never lower than for constant current stimulation. For the purpose of injecting a net direct current (DC), a constant current is optimal. For stimulation with alternating current (AC), sensation decreased with increasing frequency, consistent with previous reports. Amplitude modulation did not reduce sensation below stimulation with constant AC amplitude, and biphasic square waveforms produced higher sensation levels than biphasic sinusoidal waveforms. Furthermore, for DC stimulation, sensation levels on the arm were similar to those reported on the head. Conclusion: Our comparisons of various waveforms for monophasic and biphasic stimulation indicate that conventional DC and AC waveforms may provide the lowest skin sensations levels for trans cutaneous electrical stimulation. These results are likely generalizable to tES applications. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Skin sensation limits the intensity of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), and exploring alternative stimulation waveforms may reduce skin sensation levels. High frequency monophasic square wave stimulation decreases sensation with increasing duty cycle, baseline, and frequency, but never lower than constant current stimulation. Conventional DC and AC waveforms may provide the lowest skin sensation levels for transcutaneous electrical stimulation.