We met Dave earlier on the blog. His company, Mind Alive Inc. operates out of Edmonton, Canada and sells a wide variety of ‘mind machines‘, including the Oasis Pro, which can be used for tDCS. Medical devices are controlled differently in Canada, the EU, and the U.S. About tDCS devices…
In Canada, it is not considered a medical device when used in a cognitiveneuroscience application.
I need to do a deep dive with an expert at some point, but for now, let’s operate under the assumption that it’s much easier to get a tDCS device in Canada or Europe. According to the Mind Alive ordering page, there does not seem to be anything special or awkward about ordering one of their devices. (I have no affiliation with Mind Alive).
Here Dave gives an overview of tDCS, how it’s theorized to work, and includes a set of tDCS montages for various purposes. Excellent!
I have heard varying reports of the quality of the Oasis Pro device, and it doesn’t seem significantly superior to any other tDCS device currently available. Mind Alive is a difficult company to assess properly because the number of studies concerning its mind machines are quite limited (a number are also conducted by Dave Sieber himself…?) and I have heard wildly differing accounts of how well the aural brainwave entrainment devices it markets work. These machines seem to reliably promote relaxation and enhanced sleep, but that’s quite another thing to the mental ailments that the most rigorous tDCS studies have shown potential in treating.
Thanks ATA!
Very good info
here few notes:
1:35 he didnt mention neurone orintation in the gyrus and possible reverse efect caused by tangental filelds . Effect of tDCS depens on electric field orintation to the neuron .
2:00 he misspelled -65mV to -65V
7:30 17uA ,40uA are the current densities on the electrodes , current densities in cortex may differ depent of electrode configuration (different part of the current reach the cortex) . If i remember it corectly 17uA is from motor cortex study and 40 from DLPFC study.Its posible that the current density in the cortex was same in bouth configurations (oversimplyfied only to show problems in determinantion needet stimulation intensity).
10.35 HD-tDCS electrodes and currents