SLEEP 2026 | Temporal interference stimulation: a novel approach to modulating sleep brain networks

Transcranial electrical stimulation with temporal interference, or our group calls it TES-T, also has a couple of different names, so temporal interference stimulation as well as interferential current stimulation. It’s a non-invasive form of electrical stimulation, so it uses high-frequency alternating current. And these high frequencies are what make the technique really special in that it can affect neural activity in deeper brain regions. So kind of the basics of how it works is that you have two electrode pairs. One pair is delivering high-frequency alternating current. Our group uses 15,000 Hertz. The other pair is delivering high-frequency alternating current; our group uses 15,000 Hertz, the other pair is delivering 15,000 Hertz with an offset, so in our case, we’re using a one Hertz difference frequency, and where those two signals interfere or combine, there’s a one Hertz amplitude modulation or beat signal that neurons can interact with or follow, and so that’s kind of the very broad overview of the mechanism, but there are still quite a few unknowns as to exactly how it works. I think there are numerous applications, so our group is specifically looking at different sleep oscillations and how TES-T can affect those oscillations, so my work is focused on slow-wave activity. I have colleagues working on enhancing spindle activity, and we’re also looking at REM sleep features. So I think right now, we’re focused on kind of these individual oscillations and how can we affect or enhance their activity. But on the whole, there are a lot of applications to consider if we can modulate those oscillations. So, for example, with slow-wave activity, it’s reduced in a number of different health-related conditions, so things like depression, neurodegenerative disease, and so if we can enhance slow-wave activity in these populations, we could see some health benefits in the longer term. Same goes for, say, spindle activity in populations where that has changed, like in schizophrenia. So the applications are vast, and the potential is really exciting and broad. So I think there’s been a lot of progress by many different groups in bringing this technology into the sleep field. Even just within the last few years, we’ve overcome some technical hurdles in terms of being able to record EEG during sleep and stimulate at the same time, which is one of the advantages of this technique. In terms of the challenges looking ahead, my mind goes to the mechanism; I think the more we can try to understand just about the fundamentals of how this technique works, will help us be better able to optimize it for all of those potential applications.

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