Neurostimulation

Neurostimulation is the purposeful modulation of the nervous system's activity using invasive (e.g. microelectrodes) or non-invasive means (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial electric stimulation such as tDCS or tACS). Neurostimulation usually refers to the electromagnetic approaches to neuromodulation.

Neurostimulation technology can improve the life quality of those who are severely paralyzed or have profound losses to various sense organs, as well as for permanent reduction of severe, chronic pain which would otherwise require constant (around-the-clock), high-dose opioid therapy (such as neuropathic pain and spinal-cord injury). It serves as the key part of neural prosthetics for hearing aids, artificial vision, artificial limbs, and brain-machine interfaces. In the case of neural stimulation, mostly an electrical stimulation is utilized and charge-balanced biphasic constant current waveforms or capacitively coupled charge injection approaches are adopted. Alternatively, transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial electric stimulation have been proposed as non-invasive methods in which either a magnetic field or transcranially applied electric currents cause neurostimulation.^[1][2] A recent scientific review (2024) has identified relevant hypotheses on the cellular-level processes underlying non-invasive neurostimulation. ^[3] Data analysis revealed that mitochondrial activity probably plays a central role in brain stimulation implemented by different approaches. In addition, analysis of the mother-fetus neurocognitive model ^[4] provided insights into the conditions of natural neurostimulation of the fetal nervous system during pregnancy. ^[3] Based on these results, the article suggested the hypothesis of the origin of neurostimulation during gestation. ^[3] According to this position, natural neurostimulation occurs during pregnancy due to the electromagnetic properties of the mother's heart and its interaction with the mother's own and fetal nervous system.^[3] Natural neurostimulation ensures the balanced development of the embryo's nervous system and guarantees the development of the correct architecture of the nervous system with the necessary cognitive functions corresponding to the ecological context and the qualities that make human beings unique.^[3] According to Latvian prof Igor Val Danilov, natural neurostimulation is the basis of many neurostimulation techniques.^[3]