The students of the Interuniversity Master in Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (IMCEN) from the Universities of Minho, Coimbra and Lisbon have attended a workshop in our laboratory space on October 25th. The workshop entitled 'Non-invasive brain stimulation as a diagnostic, research and therapeutic tool' was conducted by Professor Egas Caparelli Dáquer, Professor of Physiology at the University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Coordinator of LabEEL - Nervous System Electrical Stimulation Lab.
The workshop is focused on providing students with the knowledge and technical experience of neuromodulation tools and its appropriate methodology used in research. During the morning, the training covered the theoretical aspects of neuromodulation using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). The second half, however, explored the practical procedures where students learnt how to correctly prepare and assemble a tDCS experiment, how to attach the electrodes and to use the stimulation device itself.
Professor Egas Dáquer highlights the HD-tDCS as his main contribution to the students. "HD-tDCS is a technique that can focus on smaller areas than the traditional tDCS devices and allows researchers to modulate very small areas of the brain, reason why it is such a useful technique for scientific research".
Joana Sayal, one of the 15 students present, said that the workshop is part of the IMCEN's Research Methods in Neuropsychology course. The student thinks that the topics are extremely relevant from her research career. "I have never worked with HD-tDCS and I am looking forward to learning more about this technique because I think it is a very important methodology for my future as a cognitive neuroscience researcher", she added.
This workshop has been made possible due to the international collaboration established between the Proaction Lab from the University of Coimbra and the Nervous System Electrical Stimulation Lab from the University of Rio de Janeiro.
