Media transmission characteristics of harmonic signatures in tACS: From simple linear phantoms to complex biological systems

Brain stimulation 2026 Open access

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Authors: Chen Jin, Xuesong Wang, Biao Chen, Huan Wan, Zhonghua Lu, Yun Sun, Yan Sun, Junjie Bu
DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2026.103052
Cited by: 0
References: 10

Abstract

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a widely used non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) method. It delivers a weak electrical current at a specific frequency to modulate brain activity and human cognition. However, tACS induces strong electromagnetic artifacts. These artifacts mainly arise at or near the stimulation frequency due to nonlinear amplitude modulations [1]. Among these, harmonics are a specific type of artifact. They refer to non-neurogenic signal components that appear at integer multiples of the stimulation frequency [2].

Fields of Study & Subjects

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces Neuroscience and Neural Engineering

Publication details

Journal / source
Brain stimulation
Volume
19
Issue
2
Pages
103052–103052
Publication date
10 February 2026
Language
EN