The electric brain: do-it-yourself healthcare with transcranial direct current stimulation

The OECD's 2016 'Neurotechnology and Society: Strengthening Responsible Innovation in Brain Science' International Workshop drew together scientists, policy-makers, industries, regulators, and academics for the purpose of discussing the present state of neurotechnology and exchanging ideas on how RRI can, and should, play a role in the rapidly evolving field. A myriad of technologies and devices were discussed during the workshop, but one area of neurotechnology received considerable attention: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In this discussion piece, I describe what tDCS technology is, give a brief overview of its history, introduce a number of scientific studies that suggest the efficacy of the technology and, most importantly, set out some of the concerns I have for its use. The piece concludes by making the argument that we, members of the neuroscience community, have an ethical duty to become more involved in this community so that we may help guide these people and potentially prevent any unintended brain damage.