"One of the systems for re-establishing brain communication without going through the senses is the transcranial neuromodulation. This is a set of non-invasive techniques that by electrical or magnetic signals modify the activity of some regions of our brain and their connection with other brain areas" explains Franca Tecchio, Coordinator of the Laboratory of Electrophysiology for Translational neuroScience (Let's)-Istc-Cnr. "In this way, bypassing the senses, signals are sent directly to regions that do not receive them or distort them, restoring normal brain function."

The Let's-Cnr team has realized the tIDS technique by enriching transcranial neuromodulation with neuroimaging techniques. "Using neuroimaging, it is possible to observe and measure the processes of compromised areas. The tIDS consists of a low-intensity electrical stimulation that, before acting, is able to understand how the cerebral area works, and get in tune with it by neuromodulation" the researcher continues. "In this way, tIDS can optimize the targeting capacity of the stimulation, by exploiting specific features of the target zone. The tIDS noninvasive and personalized brain stimulation increases the effectiveness of the intervention."

The technique has been developed and tested in the primary motor cortex, but the research group intends to extend its use. "If we can demonstrate that this technique allows, besides increasing, also inhibiting the excitability of the target brain region, we will build tIDS that inhibit the areas where epilepsy is generated in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies." concludes Tecchio.