Applications of Transcranial Stimulation and EEG-Based Feedback Systems in Bioengineering

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosignal Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 494

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Health and Human Performance Department, Utah Tech University, 225 South University Avenue, St. George, UT 84770, USA
Interests: motor control; motor learning; neurophysiology; transcranial stimulation; neuromodulation; cognitive-motor integration; exercise performance and adaptation; virtual reality and immersive technology

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Guest Editor
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Interests: transcranial direct current stimulation; transcranial magnetic stimulation; Parkinson\'s disease; aging; force control; EMG; motor learning
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transcranial stimulation encompasses non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS), random noise stimulation (tRNS), and related methods. These approaches modulate neural activity and have become integral to both bioengineering research and clinical practice.

This Special Issue will demonstrate recent developments and practical applications of transcranial stimulation in clinical and non-clinical settings. Submissions may explore therapeutic interventions for neurological and psychiatric disorders, neurorehabilitation after injury or stroke, and cognitive or motor performance enhancement in healthy individuals. Research on wearable and portable neuromodulation systems, closed-loop EEG-feedback protocols, integration with virtual or augmented reality platforms, and computational modeling of stimulation protocols is also invited.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Clinical and experimental applications of TMS, tDCS, tACS, HD-tDCS, and tRNS;
  • EEG-based feedback and closed-loop stimulation systems;
  • Neurorehabilitation and recovery of motor or cognitive function;
  • Wearable and portable neuromodulation technologies;
  • Integration of stimulation with virtual or augmented reality;
  • Neural plasticity mechanisms and individualized stimulation strategies;
  • Multimodal approaches combining stimulation with other interventions;
  • Computational modeling and simulation of transcranial stimulation.

Original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and methodological papers are welcome.

Dr. Milan Pantovic
Dr. Brach Poston
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • non-invasive brain stimulation
  • performance optimization
  • EEG-based feedback systems
  • wearable neuromodulation
  • virtual reality integration

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 2419 KB  
Article
A Frequency-Dependent and Nonlinear, Time-Explicit Five-Layer Human Head Numerical Model for Realistic Estimation of Focused Acoustic Transmission Through the Human Skull for Noninvasive High-Intensity and High-Frequency Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation: An Application to Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
by Shivam Sharma, Nuno A. T. C. Fernandes and Óscar Carvalho
Bioengineering 2025, 12(11), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12111161 - 26 Oct 2025
Viewed by 338
Abstract
Transcranial focused ultrasound is a promising noninvasive technique for neuromodulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders, but accurate prediction of acoustic transmission through the skull remains a major challenge. In this study, we present a five-layer numerical human head model that integrates frequency-dependent acoustic [...] Read more.
Transcranial focused ultrasound is a promising noninvasive technique for neuromodulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders, but accurate prediction of acoustic transmission through the skull remains a major challenge. In this study, we present a five-layer numerical human head model that integrates frequency-dependent acoustic parameters with nonlinear time-explicit dynamics to realistically capture ultrasound propagation. The model explicitly represents skin, trabecular bone, cortical bone, and brain, each assigned experimentally derived acoustic properties across a clinically relevant frequency range (0.5–5 MHz). Numerical simulations were performed in the frequency domain and time-explicit to quantify sound transmission loss and focal depth under high-intensity and high-frequency stimulation. The results show the effect of frequency, radius of curvature, and skull thickness on maximum pressure ratio, focal depth, and focus zone inside the brain tissue. Findings indicate that skull geometry, particularly radius of curvature and thickness, strongly influences the focal zone, with thinner skull regions allowing deeper penetration and reduced transmission loss. Comparison of the frequency-domain model with the time-explicit model demonstrated broadly similar trends; however, the frequency-domain approach consistently underestimated transmission loss and was unable to capture nonlinear effects such as frequency harmonics. These findings highlight the importance of nonlinear, time-explicit modeling for accurate transcranial ultrasound planning and suggest that the proposed framework provides a robust tool for optimizing stimulation parameters and identifying ideal target zones, supporting the development of safer and more effective neuromodulation strategies. Full article
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