A Low-Cost Wearable TI-TACS Stimulator With Bipolar Quadratic-Boost Converter for Current Stimulation Validation in the Rat Brain.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42384535.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1109/TBME.2026.3708853.
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Abstract
Temporal interference transcranial alternating-current stimulation (TI-tACS) enables non-invasive deep brain neuromodulation but requires bulky, expensive equipment. This work presents an integrated wearable TI-tACS device addressing these barriers. A battery-powered system (55$\times 40\times$25 mm) featuring a quadratic-boost converter generates bipolar $\pm$15 V from 3.7 V battery at moderate duty cycles ($D$=0.55-0.68). Validation included electrical equivalent-load testing, electromagnetic modeling, saline phantom measurements, and proof-of-concept in vivo measurements in rats ($N$=5). The proposed device achieves >50× volume reduction compared to existing TI-tACS implementations, with ${\$}$300 USD cost, 1.25% mean current error, and 0.28% mean THD. Phantom measurements matched simulations. Proof-of-concept in-vivo measurements demonstrated depth-dependent electric-field distributions containing both carrier-frequency and beat-frequency spectral components in rat brain tissue. The system successfully delivers TI-tACS waveforms and demonstrates interference field generation in biological tissue. This compact, affordable platform addresses critical hardware accessibility gaps, providing a foundation for preclinical TI-tACS research and enabling portable experimental paradigms.