What are /r/tDCS's favorite Products & Services?

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>For the active conditions, patients received 2 mA tDCS for 20 min for 10 d (Monday–Friday on two consecutive weeks). These parameters of stimulation were chosen based on recent studies showing that 2 mA of stimulation induces a larger behavioural effect compared to 1 mA tDCS (Boggio et al., 2006 ; Iye et al., 2005) and a study suggesting that effects of tDCS are cumulative (Fregni et al., 2006a). For sham stimulation, the stimulator was turned on for 30s only and current intensity was gradually increased (at the beginning of the session – ‘ ramp up ’) and decreased (at the end of the session – ‘ ramp down ’) to diminish its perception.

http://www.brainstimulation.columbia.edu/doc/journal_club/papers/boggio_neuropsychopharmacology_2008.pdf

TMS has some similar issues: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322399002851

Good question, I have not seen any long-term studies, but I think there are some in clinical trials now.

Anecdotally, I had used tDCS everyday for about six months, and wrote about my experiences here: https://medium.com/tdcs-global/my-tdcs-story-a-six-month-retrospective-a60388704b13

Since then, I've started to use tDCS less, am at 1-2 times per week now, but I retain the benefits that I gained during the time I was using it everyday (i.e. increased focus and learning, motivation, working memory, cognitive control, etc). I do also practice meditation, do daily cardio and sauna, and take nutritional supplements to help with overall cognitive functioning, but tDCS has made by far the most noticeable difference.

I hope this is helpful. :)

This is a tricky question, because it varies depending upon your individual neurophysiological characteristics (i.e. your brain's baseline patterns of activities) and your goals/objectives of tDCS along with other interventions that may interact with the stimulation.

Having said that, I have two montages that work best for me and others who've tried them for two specific purposes. These are as follows:

1) Anodal stimulation of right temporal parietal junction (RTPJ) at approximately C4 on the 10-20 EEG system (about 1" above and behind the right ear) with a large 3"x4" sponge to increase empathy, critical thinking, and socialization with cathode on left upper arm.

2) Anodal stimulation of PFC (FpZ) large 3"x4" sponge, to promote alertness and focus, cathode on right upper arm.

I came to these montages through much reading and experimentation over the past 9 months, and they work best in conjunction with meditation, and I've written about this here.

I hope this is helpful, and I'm happy to answer any follow-up questions you may have. :)

Keep logging. Personally I'm more interested in feedback after a month or so. You should also be doing periodic audits with apps such as Cambridge Brain Sciences tools to get a true measure of progress:

http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/

I am not generally an anxious person, but I must admit the first time I tried tDCS I was a bit nervous, so I took baby steps, the first time I ran the current for just 1 minute, and that didn't kill me, so the next day I tried for 5 minutes, and that was also fine, and I actually could feel the effects. After that, I ramped it up to 20 minutes. That was 9 months ago, and today I feel better than I ever have in my whole life before. :)

Just curious, have you tried meditation?

Despite my handle, I am not an actual monk, but I have found that combining tDCS with meditation is very beneficial for calming the mind. If you want to give it a shot, I've written about the process I use here

If money's no object, the first thing you should do is work with someone who's very knowledgeable in the field to get an fMRI scan while in a state of anxiety to determine what regions are overactive or underactive. Once you've established the baseline during an anxious state, the doctor can help you to determine the best montage that could help bring your brain to a more normal baseline of activity by upregulating or downregulating those specific regions.

In my experience, it's best to combine tDCS with other interventions, like meditation and nutritional supplements, to help achieve the best overall results, as tDCS by itself may not be enough.

I hope this is helpful. :)

This free open source software both outputs to CSV (text) and has build in graphs showing your progress:

http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/

Also sustained Dual-N-Back tests will increase your working memory and according to several research papers might effectively increase your overall IQ. The trick? Raising your Dual-N-Back ability is HARD and takes a lot of dedication. By using tDCS with anode on F3 and cathode on FP while doing Dual-N-Back tests, I'm trying to shorten the amount of time it takes to increase my working memory and mental fluidity.

Here's some more on the ability to increase intelligence through Dual-N-Back:

http://www.gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ

I really like http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/. It doesn't give a single IQ scoire (which is pretty useless for most analysis anyway) but it does give both raw scores and percentiles for performance on all the subtasks.

ok I haven't been able to find the apk file (yet!) but I did manage to fix all the Google Play problems and get the old app published again. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.focus.androidapp

Anode on C4 improves socialization, so you may try that. I do this in conjunction with Metta Medication, and in my experience, it helps me to have greater understanding and empathy towards others. When you better understand someone, it's easier to talk to them and put things in the right way. I wrote a bit about Meditation + tDCS here

Hope this helps. :)

I think so, because at you picture I can see 2pins power plug: https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=7040910dc69dae5b&id=7040910dc69dae5b%213650&v=3&ithint=photo,jpg&authkey=!AHkfOZ14-Bh-hQw

But foc.us v2 uses 4pins 2.5mm jack: http://media.foc.us/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/s/dsc_8609.jpg

These plugs have different design and different number of pins.

I've been using tDCS to enhance meditation for several months now, and it works for me. I wrote about my experiences here: https://medium.com/tdcs-and-neurodynamics/tdcs-meditation-6309cec0fe37

I hope this is helpful, and if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them. :)

Very cool! :) I don't try to quantify my cognitive control/mindfulness, but I do qualitatively examine my mental state and effectiveness at work. I do still occasionally get headaches, and this has by far the most negative impact on my life, so being mindful of the potential causes of headaches is much easier now then before, because of just being more mindful and experimenting responsibly.

I use two montages with two specific types of meditation, I wrote about them in another article here: https://medium.com/tdcs-and-neurodynamics/tdcs-meditation-6309cec0fe37

The TCT unit shows target current and actual measured current. So you know what it is outputting at any time. It does a calibration test each time it is switched on. It is passively limited at 4mA (from memory), in case things go wrong. That is still plenty below the point where it could cause trouble and you would feel it and stop the stimulation.

This is a good device. It is used by universities for clinical trials. You will find plenty of good comments if you do a search. There is also a review on medium.

The simpler the better IMO. Dual N-Back http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/ as long as it takes to hit the wall consistently on your scores and then apply tDCS. With a variety of montages. It would be interesting to do together and exchange results. Are there 10 of us in here who'd be up for a month of experimenting?

Hi fenderer. I am having the same issues wanting some data for my experiments with the foc.us headset. I've resorted to Dual-n-back, an IQ test with the free Brain Science website http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/ and intermittent training at lumosity. I figure at least Cambridge has somewhat different games to lumosity so it's not pure familiarity with the games that I am improving on. That said it's all a drop in the ocean and hardly scientific. I'll report back if I find some more places to accrue data. Please do likewise.

I'm only now about to start my experiments. I too think DLPFC and Supraorbital, or opposite shoulder, is the low hanging fruit. I have been doing the 'Cambridge Brain Challenge', which is a series of 4 tests, on and off since last July -in order to have a body of reference to compare against. But they just changed their site and for the moment my previous test scores are missing. I have an email in to them wondering where my test scores are but haven't heard back yet (holidays). If they've nuked 6 months of test scores I will be livid. What n-back test are you using? I think we should all try to get on the same page with the testing. I thought it could be the Cambridge Brains Science site. Now I don't.

I highly doubt just connecting the electrodes to the area you think is relevant and then not following up with an action is going to do anything.

The way most tDCS researches work, is they use the tDCS to excite the neurons and then follow up with an action to change the neural pathways.

So I suggest you find an activity to follow up with, either during or (probably easier) shortly after zapping yourself.

Now you're probably not particularly extrovert (which is how you spell it I believe), so you'll likely not be interested in going outdoors. If you would consider that, I'd say hit up a Toastmasters club and open your mouth there. This would be a bit awkward, the zapping would then take place in your car, just before the meeting.

But if that scares you too much, or you're just lazy or something, I suggest you follow up with a session of chat roulette http://chatroulette.com/ . You could even consider keeping the current flowing while doing the chat roulette and use that as a prop to explain what you are doing.

tldr; it doesn't work if you don't activate the excited neural networks.

I hope you can find the science and stories of tDCS and TMS modalities in this book helpful, they have been very helpful for many such as yourself in the past ! Wishing you the best !

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CWD65TV

My opinion is it probably won't hurt to try? Worst case scenario is no effect, best case scenario is rapidly improved training. And afterwards, your personal replication study can be added to the collective data on the sub, making everyone smarter in the process.

I think it sounds like I'm boo birding sometimes because there's not enough focus on individuals in general? There's so much diversity in neural construction and function that it's kind of impossible to put magic zappy pad in this exact area wouldn't work all the time even if it could. I don't mean to sound dissuading as much as reminding to manage expectations.

OpenBCI has a 3D Printer model on their site which can be outsourced for under $10 if you don't have access to a printer. There's also quite a few really good models on Thingiverse in the VR section if you don't mind modifying them a bit. Their control boards are okay but expensive, for your purposes, something like this would be better because it gives you more channels and also gives you more granular control of the signal. If you really want to be brave, I've seen a few EEG circuits with bandpass built in floating around on raspberry pi forums...

i head problems with such behavior of me and since i started to meditate, its all fade away in peace. Also i do tdcs since 2 weeks and it indeed brought positive change but meditation (since 6 weeks) makes me more united with all beings so i dont hurt so much as i use to do.

if you are looking for place to start, "Mindfulness in Plain English" by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana is a fantastic introduction.

Do we have much of an understanding of what is being done to the tissues involved to create this behaviour?

I heard about tDCS machines a little while ago as it related to meliorating depression and schizophrenia. A few good friends of mine have been living with them for years, and frequently the chemical therapies that are available are as unpleasant as the conditions themselves (lithium is nasty stuff).

tDCS treatment seems like it could plausibly treat those conditions without the side-effects. I've been teaching myself neurobiology with the aim of understanding what exactly the current is doing to the physical structures, but I'm still working through the basics. (Brains are apparently complicated!)

Incidentally, do you have any textbook suggestions? I know in my field there are a handful of mythical books (like Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming) that get suggested to noobies a lot.

Hey, I am a surgical neurophysiologist who wrote a book all about the science and stories behind tDCS, photobiomodulation modalities ie)Infrared and laser healing, HBOT, and TMS. Hope you can find this book informative and stimulating! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CWPRDBR

The Alpha Stim was recommended to me by my sleep doctor. The cost is pretty high, so I wanted to see if there was a way to try the device before purchasing.

I decided to try a 100 dollar device for 30 days on amazon, to my surprise I think its helping me with sleep. I put it on and I begin to feel the same effect I had when I first tried Trazadone. Though, I'm a little concerned that it may not be safe as the Alpha Stim

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QYLC3Z5/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_asin\_title\_o05\_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You went to bed at 11:30? When did you use the tDCS?

Sleep problems in tDCS are supposed to be pretty rare. However, most of the studies that looked at side effects didn't use frontal sites, and didn't standardize the time of day that tDCS was administered. It wouldn't surprise me terribly if exciting the DLPFC caused sleep problems, since the DLPFC gets pretty inhibited during normal sleep.

Anecdotal, I did an experiment with modifying a wake-back-to-bed protocol to incorporate anodal stimulation of the left DLPFC, and I had the same effects.

Research:Cathodal left anterior temporal lobe and anodal right anterior temporal lobe

Protocol:1.6 mA for 10 minutes Results:Drastic increase in ability to solve challenging insight problems

I am not sure if you are talking about creating a computation model or using one but for creating one:

• Use Blender for the 3D modeling or more accurately, get one from online that is high quality and made by a professional.

• You can use GIMP to create a uv map for the brain and include the different positions with the 10/10 or 10/20

• You should probably use something like javascript or python if you want to make it on the web and make it interactive

I am currently working on a project similar to this but a bit more in depth.

Cool, thanks! :)

I've been using tDCS in conjunction with nutritional supplements, meditation, and exercise since Feb of this year, and have written about my experiences here: https://medium.com/tdcs-global/my-tdcs-story-a-six-month-retrospective-a60388704b13

Since writing this article, I've experimented with lowering the amount of time and frequency of tDCS, as well as tailoring my nutritional stack a bit more, so would be happy to share these experiences as well, just haven't had time to write them all down yet. :)

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences. :)

I have been using tDCS for more than six months, and have written about my experiences here: https://medium.com/tdcs-global/my-tdcs-story-a-six-month-retrospective-a60388704b13

Many others on this subreddit have been using tDCS for even longer than me, and many have had similar results (see http://www.reddit.com/r/tDCS/search?q=experience&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all). I can say that tDCS by itself made a big difference for me, but combining tDCS with specific nutritional supplements, exercise, and meditation have resulted in exponential gains in terms of cognitive capacity (ability to think critically and systematically as well as adapt quickly to changing situations) and control (ability to maintain focus on important things and not get distracted by silly things).

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can. :)

I've written about two montages I use with meditation here: https://medium.com/tdcs-and-neurodynamics/tdcs-meditation-6309cec0fe37

Please let me know if this is helpful, or if anything is not clear.

Yes! And I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who's tried this one and had this effect. :)

I have been using this montage (+OZ-FpZ) before meditation, and yes I think it does induce a slight feeling of euphoria, which is actually similar to the feeling I get from a really good meditation session. I've written about this montage and another I use with meditation here: https://medium.com/tdcs-and-neurodynamics/tdcs-meditation-6309cec0fe37

I find the cathode on FpZ makes me a bit sleepy afterwards so if I need to work I'll use anode on FpZ and cathode on upper left or right arm after my meditation session to get back into work mode.

I did a limited trial combining the two montages I use with meditation while taking NSI-189 (along with a few things like fish oil, royal jelly, and choline stack), and found the effects to be very beneficial in the long-term.

I only use this montage once a week (usually on the weekends), and I practice meditation everyday (just 5-10 minutes). I do notice on the days when I use this montage, it's much easier to get into the groove of meditation.

I hope this is helpful, and please let me know if you discover any other interesting montages, I'm always curious about these, but haven't had much time to experiment lately. :)

Are you asking where they are or how to measure? On the foc.us site mentioned, you can check T3 and P3. Then use your mouse to rotate the head 360 degrees to see them. You can get an idea of measuring using the slideshow: https://www.slideshare.net/mohibullahfazli/10-and-20-electrode-placement

For an in-depth guide to measuring, see this pdf: http://chgd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/10-20_system_positioning.pdf

They hold EEG electrodes firmly in place. However, I have no idea if someone has taken shoe laces, and some plastic parts and built one DIY style and reselling super cheap. That could be the case, in which case, hey maybe it's not so great. However, it looks pretty good if you ask me. I only just ordered one now. So I don't have a user review.

Here, if you scroll down, you'll see someones prototype using a baseball cap.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openbci/openbci-an-open-source-brain-computer-interface-fo

It's EEG however, and EEG is designed to read electrical signals, rather than deliver them. Pads are bigger with tDCS.

OMFG...

Read this one in that link...

We currently have a fully-functional Arduino Shield design, which links the electrical signals of your brain to the limitless power of computation.

TDCS helps me focus but 'what' I focus on still requires control over the internal compass so to speak. You could also try TDCS along with listening to binaural beats or isochronic tones. Youtube has a ton of them and mynoise.net is a good resource. There are also subliminal videos on youtube you could check out however be careful with those as the messages need to be clean / from a professional.

Read the description of the sponge. http://soterixmedical.com/tdcs/accessories#pads_1

Proprietary rivet design to minimize current concentration at electrode edges leading to current-density “hot-spots”.

This phenomena is described in a neural implant engineering course I've taken. A homogenous distribution can be attained at the electrode surface by recessing the electrode even slightly. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=2030C747BAF341BA!227&authkey=!AGWi6mA7ZKQUv5I (Go to BME552, Device/Tissue Interface II, Slide 12)

Well there's a Windows version available and it's pretty robust software. I'm not sure what interference is, but it might be in there. Maybe you could check it out and get back to us. http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/download.html

I don't think it's still actively supported, but there is an archived version of the BrainWorkshop*net Dual N-Back game that I use here: http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/

I had a problem where I was using one site to develop a history of brain game scores only to have the site re-designed, thereby losing all my data. I like that you can download the BrainWorkshop to your own computer and are not by default sharing your data with who knows.

I think that for me, the thing to do now that I've found http://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com (thanks!), even before I have a tDCS device, is to see if I can affect my test score outcomes using a variety of 'brain hacks'. For example, this list from Jonah Lehrer http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/05/features/the-new-rules-of-creativity?page=all Jonah also mentions in various podcasts I've listened to around the release of his latest book, "Imagine, How Creativity Works" that both cannabis and alcohol can improve performance on certain kinds of challenges. (Those benefiting from an active right hemisphere.) Imagine having tested sufficiently to be able to state, for instance, that: Under the influence of two 12oz bottles of Guinness consumed within a period of 30 minutes, I was able to increase my Monkey Ladder score by a solid 10%.

> I've been electrocuted like a hundred times in my life.

Given that "electrocution" is definitively (1,2) to be killed by electric shock, I find it hard to believe that you've died by this method a hundred times or more. I suspect that what you mean to say is that you've suffered (thankfully non-fatal) electric shocks on a hundred separate occasions. Very few people are declared dead from electrocution and live to tell the tale. Even fewer have it happen more than once.

But mostly: what everybody else said!

If you know anything about electronics, you could make one for a couple of dollars

The schematic is pretty simple. The output of the opamp is 2 mA. if you hover your mouse over the line on the right side, you can see the output. You can double click on the resistor to change its value to change the output.

The scientist who lead the research did it with programmable led Christmas lights at her home this year. Someone from r/webdev made this little script that tries to produce it on your device screen (but there is disagreement over the extent to which this works considering the laptop screen flashes at 60Hz and this is trying to flash around it at 40) and then someone else mentioned another group may be trying to do the same thing with an auditory tone. There are plenty of 40Hz tones to be found on YouTube.

Yeah, I saw that! In fact somebody in /r/webdev has already started to make a little web app that flashes at 40Hz.

So how I understand tDCS (and somebody correct me if necessary) but passing current through the brain between the cathode and anode but doesn't actually cause any neurons to fire. It just pushes the membrane closer to the threshold potential.

So I doubt it could stimulate things at any frequency itself, not maybe make it easier and in more appropriate places when the stimulus is applied.

edit: added the rest, phone cut me off half way through trying to type the first time.

I'm new at this as well, and I started a map to organize the resources I found while researching this topic. Hopefully you'll find it useful. http://www.mindmeister.com/408600431/transcranial-direct-current-stimulation-tdcs

Thank you very much for the reply.

I have a NeuroMyst that arrived a couple of weeks ago but I haven't used it yet due to insecurity

It supports tDCS and tACS. dose / current (in 0.1 mA increments up to 4 mA), and frequency (in 1 Hz increments up to 80 Hz) .

I thought about using tDCS because I didn't find as much material on tACS as I did on tDCS. but I bought this one because I know there are recognized devices that are tACS

I noticed that you have experience with this, you must have gone through this initial phase that I'm going through

What would you do in my place? My primary desire is to improve mood, the second is mental performance and the third is to improve sleep quality.

if it only improves the mood it would be amazing!

Would you already start with the configuration you use today? Wouldn't use tDCS?

Thank you very much 🙏

NeuroMyst: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091Y85CRF

Thank you very much for the reply.

I have a NeuroMyst that arrived a couple of weeks ago but I haven't used it yet due to insecurity

It supports tDCS and tACS. dose / current (in 0.1 mA increments up to 4 mA), and frequency (in 1 Hz increments up to 80 Hz) .

I thought about using tDCS because I didn't find as much material on tACS as I did on tDCS. but I bought this one because I know there are recognized devices that are tACS

I noticed that you have experience with this, you must have gone through this initial phase that I'm going through

What would you do in my place? My primary desire is to improve mood, the second is mental performance and the third is to improve sleep quality.

if it only improves the mood it would be amazing!

Would you already start with the configuration you use today? Wouldn't use tDCS?

Thank you very much 🙏

NeuroMyst: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091Y85CRF

Numerous safety research studies ( with webpage references linked ) can be found within Chapter 1 of this book, discussing the science and stories behind tDCS. The next 3 chapters discuss the science and stories behind other neurostimulation modalities as well. I hope you can find this book helpful, informational, and pleasurable to read ! Wishing you all the best

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CWD65TV

I own a Halo Sport tDCS headset and enjoy it, not sure about the others... I also wrote a book about tDCS and neurostimulation, the science and the stories behind it, hope you can find it helpful and enjoyable to read !

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CWD65TV

Check out this book I wrote regarding tDCS , the stories and the science behind tDCS and more, hope you enjoy it and find it helpful !

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CWD65TV

I lost my Brain driver and need a new one. They're $125 from Brain Driver directly. or can get it off amazon for $127 Amazon tdcs device

How "used" is yours? Think you should price yours for like $115?

Let me know.

Hey there, A bit late to the party, but I just recently came across all of this information in general and find it quite intriguing and am wondering if you might be able to give me a quick pointer? I am quite interested in trying to enhance my working memory, as I have had to deal with ADHD my entire life. I was prescribed Adderall at age 30 and it changed my life, since then over the last few years I have finally been able to fulfill my dream of becoming a programmer and have been learning a number of programming languages, but unfortunately still often have issue with working memory. Not nearly as bad as it was, but I am trying to make it as good as I possibly can.

So my question is in relation to what you mentioned above. Not sure if being left handed changes anything, but I am in case that matters. What would you recommend I purchase to get started? I see you mentioned Anode on F3 and cathode on FP2. Out of context, I gather that would mean placing a pad from a device (what device do you recommend? Is it something I can buy from say, Amazon? I came across this one) on F3/FP2, which are referring to parts of your head?

Thanks!

You have a good point; a lot of guided meditations are crap. Whereas it's easy to look on the internet and find how many people love the classic meditation manual Mindfulness in Plain English. (Highly recommended!)

Still, it can be hard for newbies to learn by books or articles alone, simply because you can't practice it at the same time as you're reading.

With a good guided meditation, you're actually being taught a technique. The speaker gives an instruction then stays quiet for a while so you can practice doing it. Then they tell you the next thing, and quiet again. So on and so forth.

This is a more effective way to learn when you're first starting out because it's closer to the way a live teacher would explain it to you -- but again, that only applies to the good ones.

So without further ado, here are some top-notch guided meditations. They're some of the best tracks from the meditation app Buddhify. If you have an iPhone, I suggest just getting the app instead. Otherwise you can just download the meditation audio tracks as mp3s from Amazon, either individually or as whole albums.

Volume 1: http://amzn.com/B00HNYWRF2 Volume 2: http://amzn.com/B00HNYYNV8

Similar.... I'd be interested in something that can be moved around to any position. That one looks like it's "stuck" in one position.

These reviews don't look so good... https://www.amazon.com/NeuroSky-MindWave-Mobile-BrainWave-Starter/dp/B00B8BF4EM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450480617&sr=8-1&keywords=brainwave+starter+kit

I did run across this too. Also not what I'm looking for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN1nEtO8NOY

Yeah, that's what got me too: anyone with a larger or smaller or oddly shaped cranium is going to get less-than-precise locations with a one size fits all EEG cap, plus they're not inexpensive.

So I got this, which is a hell of a lot cheaper anyway. I don't need the actual EEG nubs on a ready made cap; all I need is something that will tell me where a specific 10-20 spot is long enough to take off the cap and place the electrode with headbands, in a color light enough to see Sharpie markings. This does both.

Incidentally, it's working out surprisingly well so far, in terms of the cap keeping its shape during fittings and not sliding around. All I have to do is align the back end with my inion, make sure the center line I've already drawn front-to-back is indeed centered, and everything else stays put and perfectly aligned, nothing twisting or stretching out of shape. I'm very pleased so far.

I just have to finish marking it. But once it's done, I'll never have to worry about correctly mapping any specific location I might like to try, which makes it well worth the effort, to me at least.

>I've never heard of this (stimulation of specific frequencies by tDCS), so I'd love to see journal citations to corroborate the claim.

Me too.

Headband looks about like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Research-Instruments-19-Channel-Headband/dp/B00VDRDFCO

I use saline sponges with it.

The Gen goes directly to the electrodes. I use sine, setting the DC offset at 5V and the AC component at 2.5V PP.

Hm. The website says it's from this book. http://www.amazon.com/Affective-Neuroscience-Foundations-Emotions-Science/dp/019517805X?tag=quartz07-20 Jaak Panksepp

It was published in 2004. So that data is 2003 and earlier. This isn't new info at all.

Which made me wonder why it was posted, followed by an, "Oh..." I question whether rats are actually doing something like human seeking. On the human side, I think we're zapping ourselves because there's something there. We don't know what exactly but it does have some positive (and negative) effects. It's seeking something better, not just inflicting harm because there's nothing else left in the environment.

I like to use a runner's armband (example), not that I actually run during a session.

Not only will it keep an electrode in place but its also a good place to stash the current source, depending on form factor.

I was pondering buying (and starting a thread here) conductive gel that's advertised for use with sticky electrodes from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Conductive-Gel-Circulation-Pain-Doctor/dp/B00J23SO3Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449168269&sr=8-3&keywords=conductive+gel

BUT, applying it to an AMREX sponge (not a great fan of saline solution) or to make 'sticky' electrodes remain sticky.

Heh. Sorry. That should have read, "A23", though I do see it expressed both ways here and there.

Could you direct me to where I could buy such an adapter? I purchased the TENS cable adapter and the lead wires shown here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ONL8X0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00. I was planning on using the Amrex sponge electrodes

I absolutely prefer SPECIALLY DESIGNED sticky multi-use gel electrodes with a conductive layer behind the gel to spread the current over a wider area.

These are so convenient and portable compared to sponge electrodes. I can store them along with the Foc.us device, TENS wire, and alcohol prep pads to clean the skin all in an eyeglass case. No need to bring saline. No messing up the hairdo. No mess. No need to wash and dry the electrode after use. No rust. No need to be near a sink.

I think the well-designed gel electrodes are just as comfortable as sponge electrodes. The key is the metal conductive backing instead of just a clothe backing. This spreads the current over a large area, preventing hot spots that can irritate your skin.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWRBSIK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

OTC Patients Choice® Silver 3" Round Tan Tricot Electrodes 4/package from Balego USA

You can buy sponges for the old foc.us gamer headset at foc.us website: http://www.foc.us/sponges

Not sure about sticky pads, but maybe these will fit: http://www.amazon.com/3m-Red-Dot-Monitoring-Electrode/dp/B0015TI4G2/ref=pd_sbs_328_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0C6BYGER5JV0T79DF1XP

Nice! Try to test the strip's reusability with a conductive adhesive as well. Perhaps something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Labs-Tensive-Conductive-Adhesive/dp/B0011YY9YM/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1433444857&sr=1-1&keywords=adhesive+electrode+gel

It's the same used in the youtube video. Here's one that looks similar to mine (some have stripes, others little bumps). I buy 3-packs at the supermarket for around $5.

According to Amazon reviews, they are the same as the copperhead Duracells, just cheaper due to bulk.

12 of them are $15.09 [on Amazon].(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UGVWA4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Yeah, I saw a picture of your setup before. Which, by the way, is appropriately terrifying and I commend you for your bravery.

Here is what you do. Go to Radio Shack and get a couple of 9v battery cap things (I can't believe I don't know the name of the terminals that fit on a 9v, but I don't), they are really cheap. Take the battery OUT of your 300 in 1 kit unit. Now, take the black wire from one of the caps and twist it together with the red wire from the other cap. Put them on batteries. You now have one free black wire and one free red wire that are providing 18v from the two 9v batteries in series. stick those into the power rails you are using on your breadboard.

The other thing, if I can give you some random advice here, that I would do is order one of these from amazon. This is a 5ma panel meter and you can put it in series anywhere in your circuit and it will tell you all the time roughly how much current is flowing. It is cheap and has very little accuracy, but they are good enough for this application. There are other ways to get constant current readings from your unit, but this is the cheapest and easiest for what you are doing and your level of experience with electronics.

These rubber straps are better than a lot of other options, but they can still be cumbersome. The folks who made the Jove video are working with a new type of strap that they call the EASYstrap, which the sponges they sell kind of "clip" onto so that you can position them before putting them on your head, and then you just stick the whole mess onto your head and fasten the strap. Here's the link.

Also, what I did before I got the official straps for my research is use medical tourniquet (available at medical supply stores or your friendly local ER) and punch holes in it with a holepuncher, and then use the mini hooks sold by Scotch instead of the little dot fasteners. It worked pretty well actually.

I got it off amazon. I have aluminum squares around the leads inside the sponges. That should work right? I've done two sessions so far and no apparent problems. It's easy to get it to the correct mA. :)

Your best bet would be to buy cut the electrode end of the fixed cable off. Then you can strip the ends and use a screw or solder banana connectors attached to end to interface with the Amerex sponge electrodes.

Obviously, these aren't true IQ tests, but the book does seem to keep the tests pretty evenly balanced with the type and difficulty of questions. Seem like a good start for tabletop testing.

I have used the following method: 20 min daily x 20 days @2mA. 5 with treatment, 2 days rest. Location - left hairline, right over eyebrow.

If you have an Android device, this N-Back app by Piotr is the best i have tried: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.wie.p.nback

It has all the features u need as well as a nifty tracking chart to see your progress. I would recommemd u use figure n location cue if you were having trouble w the audial cues. Then again, maybe your problems were due to not applying the full 20 minutes. Also, try advancing to a next n level when you consistently reach over 90% success in both parameters or else set it to auto-advance.

I have had several successful cases with this setup, on naive subjects ( both for tDCS & n-back training) as well as myself. I would like to hear how it goes.

The Sleep as Android app just uses the motion sensors to determine whether you're in deep sleep or not, and makes an educated guess on when you're in a REM phase.

It seems to be quite good at detecting and recording my sleep phases (with a Nexus 5 under my pillow), but I haven't tried REM detection (and Lucid Dreaming feedback) yet.