Delirium Treatment With Transcranial Electrical Stimulation

tACS is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique which involves the application of a low intensity electric current between two or more surface electrodes. tACS uses stimulation with a current alternating at a specific frequency that can entrain endogenous neuronal oscillations by inducing neural synchronization. The administration of tACS is proposed to phase-lock large populations of neurons in the superficial layers of the cerebral cortex causing neural synchronization in the corresponding frequency, thereby altering connectivity. tACS will be delivered via a transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) device (Nurostym tES, Brainbox Ltd, United Kingdom). This device has been CE-marked for use as a medical device for the treatment of mental and neurological disorders.

Sham-tACS is a form of non-effective stimulation which can mimic the subjective sensation of active tACS treatment. During sham-tACS, the device will ramp up to 2.0 mA peak-to-peak intensity for 30 seconds, stimulate for 60 seconds and ramp down for 30 seconds, which mimics the sensation of actual tACS stimulation and improves blinding.The sham-tACS will be delivered via a transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) device (Nurostym tES, Brainbox Ltd, United Kingdom). This device has been CE-marked for use as a medical device for the treatment of mental and neurological disorders.