ReviewBrain stimulation
Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Evidence Based Update 2016.
23 registry-linked trialsAbstract readReview
In one paragraph
Review in Brain stimulation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 23 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 671 papers, 16 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
671citing papers in PubMed, 16 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Rehabilitative Trial for the Recovery of Neurophysiological Parameters in Progranulin Mutation Carriers Through the Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Post-Stroke Working Memory Deficits
Rehabilitative Trial With Cerebello-Spinal tDCS for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Ataxia
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Therapeutic Intervention for Motor Impairments in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
The Impact of Concurrent Brain Stimulation and Working Memory Training on Cognitive Performance in Acquired Brain Injury
Cerebello-Spinal tDCS as Rehabilitative Intervention in Neurodegenerative Ataxias: a Randomized, Double-blind, Sham-controlled Trial Followed by an Open-label Phase
Recovering Arm Function in Chronic Post-stroke Patients Using Combined HD-tDCS and Virtual Reality Therapy
The Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: a Double Blind, Sham Controlled, Randomized Factorial Designed Study for Anxiety Disorders
Improving Aphasia Outcomes Through tDCS-Mediated Attention Management
Effects of Non-invasive Neuromodulation on Food Desire, Chewing Pattern, Executive Functions and Biochemical Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Pilot Testing of tDCS and Metacognitive Strategy Training in Chronic Stroke
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Inhibitory Control in Addictions: a Triple-blinded, Sham-controlled Clinical Trial.
Effects of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cognition in Subacute Stroke
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Neurodegeneration and Neuromotor Recovery on Post-stroke Patients. a Pilot Study
Impulsivity Mediation Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Acceptance Commitment Therapy as an Adjunctive Therapy for Substance Use Disorder
TACS for the Recovery of Phonological STM After Stroke
Machine-Learning Based EEG Biomarkers for Personalized Interventions
Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Functionality and Pain in Individuals With Patellar Tendinopathy: Randomized Clinical Trial
Home-based Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) in Alzheimer's Disease
Acute Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Technical, Expressive, and Scenic Aspects of Musical Performance in Young Orchestra Instrumentalists: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Biological and Psychological Markers After Trancranial Electrical Stimulation in Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Glutamate Changes as a New Neurocognitive Marker in Psychosis
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Fatigue, Mood, and Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled, Crossover Trial
Who cites it
671 citing papers in PubMed, 16 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Research trends and knowledge mapping of transcranial direct current stimulation in depression: a bibliometric study based on web of science, Scopus, and PubMed (2000-2025).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with rehabilitation training for chronic spinal pain: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Completion rate and safety of non-invasive brain stimulation for upper limb dysfunction after stroke: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Pooled it
- The efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques on cognitive function in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and MCI: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on patients with depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in psychiatric disorders in early childhood (aged under 10 years): a systematic review.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on balance control in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Acupuncture treatment of vascular cognitive impairment through peripheral nerve stimulation pathway: a scoping review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- The efficacy of transcranial random noise stimulation in treating tinnitus: a systematic review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in children and young people with psychiatric disorders: a systematic review.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Evaluating the effects of tDCS on depressive and anxiety symptoms from a transdiagnostic perspective: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Translational psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with dysphagia after stroke: a systematic review.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Pooled it
- Towards optimized methodological parameters for maximizing the behavioral effects of transcranial direct current stimulation.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Uncorking the limitation-improving dual tasking using transcranial electrical stimulation and task training in the elderly: a systematic review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Outcomes From Use of the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) 11⁺ Program With and Without Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in 60 Male High School Soccer Players.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Trial
- Modulating task-outcome value to mitigate real-world procrastination via noninvasive brain stimulation.eLife · 2026Trial
- Baseline cognition and stimulation site shape the effects of tdcs on verbal fluency in older and younger adults.GeroScience · 2026Trial
- Efficacy and safety of transcranial alternating current stimulation in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Trial
611 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
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Authors and funding
29 authors.
Marom BiksonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: bikson@ccny.cuny.edu.
Pnina GrossmanDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Chris ThomasDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Adantchede Louis ZannouDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Jimmy JiangDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Tatheer AdnanDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Antonios P MourdoukoutasDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Greg KronbergDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Dennis TruongDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
Paulo BoggioCognitive Neuroscience Laboratory and Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Health and Biological Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
André R BrunoniService of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Leigh CharvetNYU MS Comprehensive Care Center, Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Felipe FregniBerenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Brita FritschDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Bernadette GillickDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN.
Roy H HamiltonLaboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Benjamin M HampsteadMental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Ryan JankordApplied Neuroscience, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, OH, USA.
Adam KirtonDepartments of Pediatrics and Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Helena KnotkovaMJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, New York, NY, USA; Department of Social and Family Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, The Bronx, NY, USA.
David LiebetanzDepartment of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center, Georg-August-University, Goettingen 37075, Germany.
Anli LiuNYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Colleen LooPsychiatry, Black Dog Institute, Clinical Academic, St George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Michael A NitscheDepartment of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center, Georg-August-University, Goettingen 37075, Germany; Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at the TU Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany.
Janine ReisDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany; BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University of Freiburg, Germany.
Jessica D RichardsonBerenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Alexander RotenbergBerenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Division of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; Pediatric Neuromodulation Program, Division of Epilepsy and Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Peter E TurkeltaubDepartment of Neurology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA; Research Division, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Adam J WoodsCenter for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Institute on Aging, Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Funding
Using social networks to map and evaluate team science across CTSA hubsUL1TR001427 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI MITCHELL, DUANE A. · 2015 to 2024
$37.2MUniversity of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)UL1TR000114 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R · 2012 to 2015
$35.0MUniversity of Florida Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC)P30AG028740 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI Stephen D Anton · 2007 to 2026
$22.8MUniversity of New Mexico (UNM) Center for Brain Recovery and RepairP20GM109089 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · PI MCKENZIE, SAMUEL ARNOLD · 2015 to 2024
$22.7MUF Clinical and Translational Science AwardUL1TR000064 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI NELSON, DAVID R · 2012 to 2014
$12.2MMichigan Alzheimer's Disease Core CenterP30AG053760 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI LIEBERMAN, ANDREW P · 2016 to 2020
$10.1MRESEARCH SUPPORT FOR BIOMEDICAL CAREERS AT CCNYR25GM056833 · NIGMS · CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK · PI STEINBERG, MARK L · 2000 to 2019
$9.9MUniversity of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UMN CTSI)KL2TR000113 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI BLAZAR, BRUCE R · 2012 to 2015
$5.4MUF Clinical and Translational Science AwardKL2TR000065 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI NELSON, DAVID R · 2012 to 2014
$1.6MNovel Neuromodulatory Intervention in the Rehabilitation of Pediatric HemiparesisK01HD078484 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI GILLICK, BERNADETTE THERESE · 2014 to 2018
$654kCRCNS: Effects of Weak Applied Currents on Memory Consolidation During SleepR01MH092926 · NIMH · CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK · PI PARRA, LUCAS C · 2010 to 2014
$618kModulation of blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability by tDCS relevant electric fiR21EB017510 · NIBIB · CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK · PI BIKSON, MAROM · 2014 to 2015
$421kNCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR000065NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR000113NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000064NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000114NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001427NIA NIH HHS P30 AG028740NIA NIH HHS P30 AG053760NIBIB NIH HHS R03 EB017410NIBIB NIH HHS R21 EB017510NICHD NIH HHS K01 HD078484NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM109089NIGMS NIH HHS R25 GM056833NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH092926NINDS NIH HHS R03 NS054783RRD VA I01 RX001534
Abstract
This review updates and consolidates evidence on the safety of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). Safety is here operationally defined by, and limited to, the absence of evidence for a Serious Adverse Effect, the criteria for which are rigorously defined. This review adopts an evidence-based approach, based on an aggregation of experience from human trials, taking care not to confuse speculation on potential hazards or lack of data to refute such speculation with evidence for risk. Safety data from animal tests for tissue damage are reviewed with systematic consideration of translation to humans. Arbitrary safety considerations are avoided. Computational models are used to relate dose to brain exposure in humans and animals. We review relevant dose-response curves and dose metrics (e.g. current, duration, current density, charge, charge density) for meaningful safety standards. Special consideration is given to theoretically vulnerable populations including children and the elderly, subjects with mood disorders, epilepsy, stroke, implants, and home users. Evidence from relevant animal models indicates that brain injury by Direct Current Stimulation (DCS) occurs at predicted brain current densities (6.3-13 A/m(2)) that are over an order of magnitude above those produced by conventional tDCS. To date, the use of conventional tDCS protocols in human trials (≤40 min, ≤4 milliamperes, ≤7.2 Coulombs) has not produced any reports of a Serious Adverse Effect or irreversible injury across over 33,200 sessions and 1000 subjects with repeated sessions. This includes a wide variety of subjects, including persons from potentially vulnerable populations.
Indexed as
Computer SimulationEvidence-Based PracticeAnimalsBrainEpilepsyHumansModels, AnimalStrokeTranscranial Direct Current StimulationElectrical stimulationMood disordersSafetytDCStDCS safetyTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation
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What OpenQuestion holds
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Read underepoch 390
Registered trials
NCT02999282ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT03034109ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT03120013ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT03453983ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT04010149ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT04153110ClinicalTrials.gov
and 17 more above
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.