Transcranial alternating current stimulation is said to be an example of noninvasive process wherein alternating currents are being applied in the brain’s occipital cortex of an individual. The process of the distribution of the alternating currents starts in the skull. When the alternating currents have already reached the occipital cortex, it will be entrained within a frequency-based fashion where the neural oscillations of an underlying brain are present. The process looks very complicated and very sensitive. Understanding its major effects could be a very difficult task to perform. However, since it is a very important process, its effects and possible outcomes must be properly explained always.
Transcranial alternating current stimulation can be performed by using the standard method for its specific procedures. This process needs two electrodes in order to complete its process. The first electrode will serve as the stimulator in a target cortex. And the other one will serve as the reference in the whole process, good example is the neck or the top of the head. The measurement of the electrode that will serve as the stimulator should be 3x4cm. while the reference electrode should be three times wider than the target surface area to control the stimulation in the skin and to reduce the level of the current density that is present in the area where the procedure is about to be performed.
The electrodes of the transcranial alternating current stimulation must be held with elastic bands while preparing it to be placed in its exact positions. The skin and the hair of the person where this procedure will be done should be saturated with a saline solution. Let the skin and hair be saturated by the saline solution by almost five to ten minutes. The saline solution will create an initial sensation in the scalp of the person few minutes after the saturation process and it will fade instantly after the initial minutes.
The alternating current which will be used to perform transcranial alternating current stimulation should be sinusoidal with a standard voltage rate of five to fifteen volts. The success of this procedure can be easily determined by looking into its expected effects in the visual cortex. Once the procedure has been applied in the visual cortex, some changes will occur in an instant. The possible effects can be easily detected through the levels of its illumination and frequencies.
When transcranial alternating current stimulation was applied in an illuminated room, the process will extremely induce the continuous flickering light perception with the use of its beta wave where several frequencies are available. But when the procedure was performed in a dark place, the perception of continuous flickering light will become more effective if the stimulation frequency was taken in an alpha wave range. This procedure can help to control the phosphenes in the far peripheral areas of vision. Once this procedure reached the visual cortex, it will automatically stimulate the anterior part in the median wall to lessen the phosphenes in the far peripheral vision.