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Hey there,
A bit late to the party, but I just recently came across all of this information in general and find it quite intriguing and am wondering if you might be able to give me a quick pointer? I am quite interested in trying to enhance my working memory, as I have had to deal with ADHD my entire life. I was prescribed Adderall at age 30 and it changed my life, since then over the last few years I have finally been able to fulfill my dream of becoming a programmer and have been learning a number of programming languages, but unfortunately still often have issue with working memory. Not nearly as bad as it was, but I am trying to make it as good as I possibly can.

So my question is in relation to what you mentioned above. Not sure if being left handed changes anything, but I am in case that matters. What would you recommend I purchase to get started? I see you mentioned Anode on F3 and cathode on FP2. Out of context, I gather that would mean placing a pad from a device (what device do you recommend? Is it something I can buy from say, Amazon? I came across this one) on F3/FP2, which are referring to parts of your head?

Thanks!

I highly highly recommend you keep doing this mindfulness exercise during your sessions. If you're having trouble getting in the zone, there are some guided meditation tracks out there that are really helpful.

I'm not talking "imagine yourself on a peaceful beach" guided meditations, which are pleasant but don't really train any skills other than relaxation. I mean actual mindfulness practice.

I highly suggest the last 2 tracks from this album, which you can buy individually:
http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Meditation-Vol-1-buddhify/dp/B00HNYWRF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405107602&sr=8-1&keywords=buddhify

Rest is for when you're tired and need a break. Scan is when you want to develop clarity and awareness more deeply.

From Volume 2: http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Meditation-Vol-2-buddhify/dp/B00HNYYNV8/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0AZ4YJ3HV55EC7P4XFWS
Rain is excellent for stress, anxiety, worry. Switch and Sense are also good general mindfulness practices to develop both clarity and relaxation at the same time.

In terms of montages, I'd ask you to keep anode on F3 but try the left styloid (behind the ear) for the cathode. You can also try anode on F1 and cathode behind the ear. You might be impressed with the results -- it's not necessarily a good thing to suppress the right prefrontal cortex. Some studies have shown benefits, which is no surprise, but some studies have also shown harm because there are important emotion processing centers all across the right PFC.

Yeah, I saw a picture of your setup before. Which, by the way, is appropriately terrifying and I commend you for your bravery.

Here is what you do. Go to Radio Shack and get a couple of 9v battery cap things (I can't believe I don't know the name of the terminals that fit on a 9v, but I don't), they are really cheap. Take the battery OUT of your 300 in 1 kit unit. Now, take the black wire from one of the caps and twist it together with the red wire from the other cap. Put them on batteries. You now have one free black wire and one free red wire that are providing 18v from the two 9v batteries in series. stick those into the power rails you are using on your breadboard.

The other thing, if I can give you some random advice here, that I would do is order one of these from amazon. This is a 5ma panel meter and you can put it in series anywhere in your circuit and it will tell you all the time roughly how much current is flowing. It is cheap and has very little accuracy, but they are good enough for this application. There are other ways to get constant current readings from your unit, but this is the cheapest and easiest for what you are doing and your level of experience with electronics.

Yeah, that's what got me too: anyone with a larger or smaller or oddly shaped cranium is going to get less-than-precise locations with a one size fits all EEG cap, plus they're not inexpensive.

So I got this, which is a hell of a lot cheaper anyway. I don't need the actual EEG nubs on a ready made cap; all I need is something that will tell me where a specific 10-20 spot is long enough to take off the cap and place the electrode with headbands, in a color light enough to see Sharpie markings. This does both.

Incidentally, it's working out surprisingly well so far, in terms of the cap keeping its shape during fittings and not sliding around. All I have to do is align the back end with my inion, make sure the center line I've already drawn front-to-back is indeed centered, and everything else stays put and perfectly aligned, nothing twisting or stretching out of shape. I'm very pleased so far.

I just have to finish marking it. But once it's done, I'll never have to worry about correctly mapping any specific location I might like to try, which makes it well worth the effort, to me at least.

Update: Sewing Scotch-Brite sponge cloth (http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Sponge-Cloth-9055-2-Count/dp/B0043OYFVO) together worked very well along with a runner's cap for F3 and Fp2; the wires wrapped around very well to the back of the unit from under the cap. However, you have to turn the headset upside down for it to be comfortable. For M1, the other site I'm interested in, I will probably have to cut a hole in the runner's cap to string the wire through.

EDIT: This looks like a good running cap choice actually, as it has a hole in the back already so string wires through: http://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Izumi-Thermal-Skull-Black/dp/B0089DP0CS/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1376431311&sr=1-4&keywords=Pearl+Izumi+thermal

Anthony, I got my Iomed PM 700 and I'm about to order the 2" x 2" Amrex sponge electrodes from Amazon. But it doesn't say anything about the connectors. Elsewhere I saw banana plugs mentioned, but these keep coming up alongside the electrodes in Amazon, and that doesn't look like a banana plug. Can you recommend a saline solution? PS if you make a kit list with an affiliate link I'd be happy to purchase through that link.

Hm. The website says it's from this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Affective-Neuroscience-Foundations-Emotions-Science/dp/019517805X?tag=quartz07-20
Jaak Panksepp

It was published in 2004. So that data is 2003 and earlier. This isn't new info at all.

Which made me wonder why it was posted, followed by an, "Oh..." I question whether rats are actually doing something like human seeking. On the human side, I think we're zapping ourselves because there's something there. We don't know what exactly but it does have some positive (and negative) effects. It's seeking something better, not just inflicting harm because there's nothing else left in the environment.

Snap-on sponge electrodes? Sorry I can't find any either. You can probably source a snap to pin or banana plug adapter but I haven't seen those either.

It might seem too 'arts and crafts' but it would be pretty easy to make a sponge-holder of Sugru that would go over your existing snap electrode. If you go that rout don't use a dish-sponge, they're way thicker than you need and have big pores that create voltage differences on your skin use [sponge cloth] (http://www.amazon.com/Lola-700-Cellulose-Sponge-12-Pack/dp/B007RWRRHI/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1376363587&sr=1-3&keywords=sponge+cloth) instead.

These rubber straps are better than a lot of other options, but they can still be cumbersome. The folks who made the Jove video are working with a new type of strap that they call the EASYstrap, which the sponges they sell kind of "clip" onto so that you can position them before putting them on your head, and then you just stick the whole mess onto your head and fasten the strap. Here's the link.

Also, what I did before I got the official straps for my research is use medical tourniquet (available at medical supply stores or your friendly local ER) and punch holes in it with a holepuncher, and then use the mini hooks sold by Scotch instead of the little dot fasteners. It worked pretty well actually.

Obviously, these aren't true IQ tests, but the book does seem to keep the tests pretty evenly balanced with the type and difficulty of questions. Seem like a good start for tabletop testing.

/u/ohsnapitsnathan

What did you use to secure the electrodes? Would sweatbands like these work? (thinking that if they absorb the saline the might be able to conduct inappropriately)

Is there an easy way to mount the device by oneself?

You will be limited to with your anode and cathode placement. Many of the tDCS users are praising different placements across the head that are not in range of the headband for various different purposes. So yeah a head band will work, however if you are interested in different "montages" or "placements", your better off with the baseball cap or rubber tubing. Here you go, I just order one for myself - http://www.ebay.ca/itm/EEG-CAP-for-All-the-EEG-machine-OR-EEG-monitor-from-CONTEC-KT88-KT88-2400-3200-/271253343144?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27f58ba8&_uhb=1

That's a little overkill though if you are only using one cathode and one anode and no "montages", so medical resuable sticky pads, may be an option, or saline "glue" to press the tinfoil conductors to your skin or hair.

http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Labs-Tensive-Conductive-Adhesive/dp/B0011YY9YM

I have the Ionto but haven't owned any other device. I haven't had any issues with it. I bought it because it has two channels so you can do two treatments at once, which I haven't gotten to experiment with as much as I'd like to. It also has a timer which isn't too much of a justification for the cost but I enjoy not having to watch a clock.

The lead wire it comes with are clips and if you want to use amrex sponges you have to buy this expensive lead wire because of a strangely sized connector I imagine they made to make a bit more money.

Don't use those sponge electrodes - they're too small. The reason people are adapting the foc.us device in the first place is to reduce the current density (i.e. Amperage per unit area). The reason this is necessary is, H2O + NaCl solution, under high current density may behave like NaOH (lye) and HCl (hydrochloric acid). To enter a lower energy state, the OH- and H+ ions may bond to skin, rather than one another, causing chemical burns.

The solution is to reduce the current density, either by lowering the current, or by increasing the size of the electrode. It also helps to use lower salinity (0.07-0.15 Mol seems to be best - that's roughly 1-2 teaspoons per liter) to wet your sponge electrodes.

Typically, scientific studies use sponge electrodes that are about 25-35 square cm (i.e. ~2x2-2x3 inches), like these Amrex electrodes. Problem is, there are very few online suppliers, so they're selling out of them quickly.

My solution has been, cutting up cellulose sponges and using alligator clips to connect them to my tDCS kit (The Brain Stimulator). That may not be an option, since you have the foc.us device, but you may be able to do something similar by taking a cellulose sponge at least 2 inches x 2 inches (5 cm x 5 cm), and placing it underneath the built-in electrodes.

I've tried a few things but have been enjoying these the most: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FWJG3M8

You should get this one if you don't need it immediately. I have it, it works great.

Final electrode size is 2.5"x3.5" (6.5cmx8.7cm).

I used aluminum screen instead of steel because that was what our hardware store had in stock. So far aluminum has worked well for me, and I've also not had to deal with any kind of rust.

A friend of mine did the machine sewing (you can tell I'm not a seamster by the first and last picture). She used a white, heavy duty thread.

My experience using them: way nicer than my old sponges, less or almost no tingling/itching/burning. The voltage at the leads was under four volts (ca. 3.8V) at 2mA, and dropped to as low as 2.6V at 1.5mA after running it for a while. This was on bare skin for both electrodes.

Sources:

Lola Sponge Cloths (Amazon)

3/8" Snap Fasteners (Amazon)

You can find different aluminum screen products on Amazon too. I just got mine by the foot at the local hardware store.

Edit: formating, more details

I am assuming you are not using a TENS device for TDCS which it isn't meant for. There are TENS pads that are just carbon rubber that you apply paste on. Go to amazon.com and search for electrode gel or tac gel. Tac gel is an adhesive. I am guessing it will rip the gel layer off of regular pads eventually (?). I think it is meant to be used with carbon rubber pads. Electrode gel coats and rehydrates gel pads making them last longer.

I used to use my TENS unit for stuff quite often. I use the gel electrodes linked below. About every third use I smear a very light coating of electrode gel (not tac gel) over them. They last quite a while and the gel keeps the pads moderately sticky. If you over saturate the electrode it falls apart. You can also buy a bandage and hold them on that way. It requires very little force to keep contact. TENS is quite forgiving so you won't get burned nearly as easily as TDCS. Because of this you can be more sloppy with your electrodes without getting burned.

Gel electrode I used for TENS
http://www.tensproducts.com/PRODUCTS/Electrode-Pads/2x3-5-Tan-Cloth-TENS-Electrode-Pads.html

Electrode paste
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093J2GWO/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

carbon rubber electrode example
http://www.tensproducts.com/PRODUCTS/Electrode-Pads/1-75x3-75-Rectangle-Carbon-Pin-TENS-Pads.html

tac gel example
https://www.amazon.com/Tensive-Parker-Labs-Conductive-Adhesive/dp/B0011YY9YM/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1468698705&sr=1-4&keywords=tac+gel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92JIBN9Yz6Q

I have decided to buy the banana plugs and jacks from amazon can anyone here verify that I am going to buy the correct ones
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BKW2K2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A28128AMZ00PEQ
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FYAQYO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A3S5JX6S4LCKI6
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044YPN0A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A1DCPNQKKEISZB

Also, will this meter be ok to measure the current?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I tried finding the fuse but I was unable, can anyone post a link to where you got yours. Finally, I was wondering if has anyone experimented with HD-TDCS

I would buy an analog ammeter just so you can be sure at all times the current going through.

I use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JS64LU but I imagine any sweatband would do.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Readings corroborated the expected output down to the 2nd decimal place