Personalized 3D-printed Headgear for Multi-electrode Transcranial Electrical Stimulation.

Abstract

We present an overview of a novel, patented, approach for creating personalized 3D-printed headgear that enables multi-electrode transcranial electrical stimulation, even in the home. A structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is used to optimize a montage that targets key brain areas/networks and is then uploaded to a secure server to design customized headgear that is ultimately 3D-printed. The headgear allows rapid multi-electrode placement (<1 min per electrode) with comparable accuracy as manual 10-10 measurements. We performed over 1,400 sessions across 63 older adults with neurological injury or disease. We describe an efficient training program for study partners (e.g., spouses) that enabled a 100% success rate and over 900 remotely administered sessions. Study partners and participants reported high levels of confidence and satisfaction with the experience. Because the electrode locations are based on personalized computational modeling, the headgear is ideal for techniques requiring precision (e.g., temporal interference stimulation, transcranial focused ultrasound, transcranial magnetic stimulation).