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Cranial Electrical Stimulation

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Abstract

Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technology that uses a low intensity alternating current (AC) applied to the head through one or more electrodes. CES variants using a range of frequencies have been used clinically and in research for approximately 100 years. From early human and animal studies of the so-called electrosleep and electro-analgesia, to later twentieth century and contemporary explorations of potential usefulness for mild to moderate depression, anxiety, insomnia, and pain, CES devices have persisted, mostly outside the mainstream of psychiatric and neurological treatment. Low-powered or poor quality studies, varied stimulation parameters and device names, and associations with alternative medicine all have been barriers to CES being scientifically studied and refined. This may soon change, for several reasons: CES is very affordable and easy to use; it appears to have a good safety profile; biomedical engineers are optimizing CES devices; new CES variants targeted to individual cranial nerve afferents show some success in treating specific neurological conditions; and recent modeling and human laboratory data suggest CES may be particularly well suited to modulating endogenous brain oscillations. This chapter gives an overview of CES history, of evidence for CES efficacy for diverse clinical conditions, discusses proposed mechanisms of action, safety and regulatory issues, and the future of CES.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Center for Bioethics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 3rd Floor, Suite 3-470, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Janet Mindes

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA

    Marc J. Dubin & Margaret Altemus

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  1. Janet Mindes
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  1. Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, Metropolitan Jewish Health Systems (MJHS), New York, New York, USA

    Helena Knotkova

  2. University of Lübeck, Department of Neurosurgery University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany

    Dirk Rasche

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Mindes, J., Dubin, M.J., Altemus, M. (2015). Cranial Electrical Stimulation. In: Knotkova, H., Rasche, D. (eds) Textbook of Neuromodulation. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1408-1_11

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