Who Uses Direct-to-Consumer Brain Stimulation Products, and Why? A Study of Home Users of tDCS Devices

Abstract

Despite the attention garnered by the home (or Bdo-it-yourself^) use of tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation), little is known about the population of actual users. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive examination of those who purchase tDCS devices: who they are, how they learn about tDCS, and why and how they stimulate. A link to an online survey was sent to those who had purchased a tDCS device from seven different companies selling tDCS devices to the public as of June 2016; data was analyzed from 339 participants, the majority of whom reported residing in North America. The typical respondent was a wealthy, highly educated, liberal, fortysomething male living in the USA who reported being an early adopter of technology. Nearly three quarters of respondents reported using tDCS for cognitive enhancement, one-quarter for restoration, and approximately 40% for treatment; many participants selected a combination of usage indications. Notably, approximately one third of participants utilize tDCS to self-treat depression. Most who use tDCS for treatment find the technology to be effective, whereas most who use it for non-treatment purposes (i.e., only enhancement and/or restoration) find it to be ineffective. Approximately 40% of those who purchase tDCS devices either quit using the device (mostly due to lack of efficacy) or have never used the device (mostly due to lack of guidance). Participants depart from established scientific protocol particularly with regard to frequency of stimulation, with 8.4% reporting self-administering 100+ sessions of tDCS. With regard to side effects, a small subset of users (n = 10) reported serious skin burns. This study provides an empirical foundation on which to base policy recommendations and offers a fact-based perspective on a bioethical debate that has too-often been one step removed from reality.

Unmet Needs in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Fill the Gap? Promises and Ethical Challenges

“…In addition to research interest, tDCS has been gaining attention within the general population (33). The interest in nonmedical application of tDCS could be explained by media hype around this technique (34), by emerging online forums that discuss the use of “do it yourself” (DIY) devices, and by easy access to information about the application of tDCS (35).…”

“…This involves individuals without a diagnosis of ADHD using ADHD drugs for “enhancing” purposes, such as better concentration, focus, or alertness at work or in school (62, 63). There is some anecdotal evidence (e.g., YouTube videos and online communities) that people use brain stimulation—often through DIY tDCS kits—for similar purposes (33). This issue thus requires attention.…”

Neuroethics at 15: The Current and Future Environment for Neuroethics

“…Consumers can now purchase on the open, largely unregulated, market technologies that record and upload brain activity to smartphones or stimulate the brain with small amounts of electrical current-technologies that were once the exclusive instruments of physicians for diagnosing and treating brain disorders (Wexler 2015;Wexler 2017). These direct-to-consumer neurotechnologies are marketed as ways to optimize brain fitness, improve cognitive functions such as memory and attention, and even improve autonomy among persons disabled after injuries to the central nervous system (Coates McCall et al 2019).…”

Regulating consumer use of transcranial direct current stimulation devices

“…There are currently no reliable prevalence statistics for consumer use of tDCS, with many individuals constructing their own devices 4 . However, interest in tDCS devices to enhance cognition is expanding rapidly as the number of devices entering the market grows 5 . For example, the tDCS page on the forum Reddit regularly receives over 6000 hits a month and has 2700 subscribers 6 …”

“…4 However, interest in tDCS devices to enhance cognition is expanding rapidly as the number of devices entering the market grows. 5 For example, the tDCS page on the forum Reddit regularly receives over 6000 hits a month and has 2700 subscribers. 6 Despite limited evidence of improvements in cognition, these devices are being marketed to healthy consumers to enhance their memory, attention, language, mathematical skills, sporting and gaming performance.…”