Now featuring screenshots from our very cool app that controls the stimulation device. Learn more about the unique features of XCSITE 100. Tell us if you know of any other research-grade device that is that user-friendly!

At this point it is painfully clear that the replication crisis has also hit the field of non-invasive brain stimulation, including the tDCS/tACS world. One way forward is to insist on high-quality study designs, with the "double-blind" being the perhaps most important feature. What we at Pulvinar Neuro do not understand is why this has to be so hard. Here are some questions for you to consider when you compare tDCS/tACS devices before making a purchase decision:

(1) Can I do double-blind stimulation or do I need to spend extra money (per study?) to get this device feature? 

(2) Can I include any number of different stimulation paradigms in a study or am I limited to a single active and a single "placebo"/"sham" condition?

(3) Can I use "active placebo", where brief stimulation is applied at the beginning of the sham stimulation to enhance the chance of successfully blinding the research participant?

(4) Can I use the same device for multiple studies or are the devices only programmable for a single study at the time?

(5) Are there any other "features" that increase the risk of breaking the blind? Our favorite example is displaying the battery charge level, which is still close to 100% after a placebo but not a verum session...

(6) Can I freely assign my own study codes or does the device always use the same codes that any smart study coordinator will have memorized over time and likely associated with corresponding stimulation condition?

Our XCSITE 100 devices was designed to address the above concerns (and some more). Our goal is to offer a cost-effective tDCS/tACS solution that advances the field since it let's you perform high-quality stimulation trials. Compare before you buy!

We are proud to contribute to a workshop on theory and practice of tDCS/tACS on May 21st 2018 just before the Carolina Neurostimulation Conference in Chapel Hill, NC. Registration will open soon, both for the conference and the workshop.

Dr. Frohlich will be the main lecturer (in his capacity as Director of the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation). In addition, we will have several other guest lectures on applied topics. Perhaps most importantly, we will practice tACS/tDCS and learn all the technical little tricks that make such a study successful. please note that this is a course for researchers and research trainees.

Some of the topics we will cover:

• What is a good study design for a tACS/tDCS study? What type of questionnaires are needed? How can we make a study truly double-blind? What are the common pitfalls of study design?
• What do we know about the mechanism of action of tACS/tDCS. Are we ready for the rational design of stimulation paradigms?
• Is the field in a crisis? How should we move forward as field. What are the high-yield, high-priority research areas in our field?
• How can I apply stimulation without dripping saline, unstable electrode impedances, and truly gross sponge electrodes? Learn how to do it better!

This will be very informal and interactive - we look forward to seeing you there!

PS Pulvinar Neuro will provide the devices to practice. This is an academic event and none of the lecturers receive any financial remuneration from Pulvinar Neuro. The content of the lectures will be without commercial bias. You should use the stimulation brand you like best and works best for your research!

We at Pulvinar Neuro wish you a happy and successful year 2018! We are looking forward to serving the community with an affordable, high-quality stimulation device for research applications. We would also like to share with you some exciting updates:

• We now have a full-line up of stimulation cables in our webshop. They may also fit devices from other manufacturers since they use standard, medical grade connectors. We invite you to compare prices!
• We are working on a cloud-integrated version of XCSITE 100, which we hope to release towards the end of 2018. More details to come.
• We are proud to support a UNC workshop on tACS/tDCS held on Monday May 21st (just before the Carolina Neurostimulation Conference). Come and learn how to do tDCS/tACS. This will be a great opportunity to try our XCSITE 100 unit!
• If you are considering the purchase of a tACS/tDCS device for research, reach out to us since we are in the final phase of our early access program with great pricing. 

We hope to connect with you in 2018!