A microfluidic perspective on conventional in vitro transcranial direct current stimulation methods

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive brain stimulation method to treat neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, its underlying neural mechanisms warrant further investigation. Indeed, dose–response interrelations are poorly understood. Placing explanted brain tissue, mostly from mice or rats, into a uniform direct current electric field (dcEF) is a well-established in vitro system to elucidate the neural mechanism of tDCS. Nevertheless, we will show that generating a defined, uniform, and constant dcEF throughout a brain slice is challenging. This article critically reviews the methods used to generate and calibrate a uniform dcEF. We use finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate the widely used parallel electrode configuration and show that it may not reliably generate uniform dcEF within a brain slice inside an open interface or submerged chamber. Moreover, equivalent circuit analysis and measurements inside a testing chamber suggest that calibrating the dcEF intensity with two recording electrodes can inaccurately capture the true EF magnitude in the targeted tissue when specific criteria are not met. Finally, we outline why microfluidic chambers are an effective and calibration-free approach of generating spatiotemporally uniform dcEF for DCS in vitro studies, facilitating accurate and fine-scale dcEF adjustments. We are convinced that improving the precision and addressing the limitations of current experimental platforms will substantially improve the reproducibility of in vitro experimental results. A better mechanistic understanding of dose–response relations will ultimately facilitate more effective non-invasive stimulation therapies in patients.