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Brain Stimulation Special Interest Group (BS-SIG)

Working Group Leaders

Welcome to the Brain Stimulation Special Interest Group (BS-SIG), formerly called the Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation SIG (NBS-SIG), founded in 2018. In order to further extend our membership interests, in late 2021, IFCN broadened the NBS-SIG’s original name to Brain Stimulation SIG (BS-SIG). Professor Andres Lozano and Professor Sarah Hollingsworth (Holly) Lisanby have kindly agreed to join Professor Professor Ulf Ziemann as Working Group Co-leaders of the SIG to extend the focus into neurosurgical and psychiatric topics.

If you are interested in joining the Brain Stimulation SIG, please complete this form.

About the Brain Stimulation SIG

The Brain Stimulation Special Interest Group (BS-SIG) of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) brings together clinicians, researchers, and professionals interested in the mechanisms, methodology, safety, and clinical applications of brain stimulation.

Established in 2018 as the Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation SIG (NBS-SIG) and renamed the Brain Stimulation SIG in 2021, the group has developed into a multidisciplinary international community encompassing clinical neurophysiology, neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, neuroscience, rehabilitation, and related fields.

Its scientific scope includes transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), including tDCS and tACS, TMS-EEG, transcranial ultrasound stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and other emerging brain stimulation approaches, as well as their physiological and clinical applications.

The BS-SIG aims to:

• promote international collaboration in brain stimulation research and clinical practice;
• advance methodological standards and reproducibility in brain stimulation;
• support the development of consensus documents, guidelines, and recommendations;
• promote high-quality education and structured training in brain stimulation;
• facilitate the translation of neurophysiological knowledge into clinical applications;
• encourage multidisciplinary collaboration across clinical neurophysiology, neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, rehabilitation, and neuroscience;
• support early-career clinicians and researchers entering the field;
• increase awareness and visibility of brain stimulation within the broader clinical and scientific community.

Recent Activities & Accomplishments

1. The BS- SIG supported the IFCN- EMEAC Teaching Course: “From research to clinical practice: Transcranial Magnetic and Electrical Stimulation”, Göttingen, Germany, March 06 - 08, 2025; several teaching courses/lectures were provided by BS-SIG members.
2. The BS-SIG held a workshop “Targeting Safety of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Research and Treatment” on June 12-13, 2025 in Munich, Germany. The main outcome of this workshop was an updated guideline published in Clinical Neurophysiology. The new safety guideline has substantially contributed to future developments in the NIBS field, scientifically, clinically, and regulatorily.
   
   Antal et al., 2026. Low intensity transcranial electric stimulation: Safety, ethical, legal regulatory and application guidelines (2017-2025: An update) - endorsed by the European Society for Brain Stimulation (ESBS) and by the International Federation for Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN). Clinical Neurophysiology 2111436, 10.1016/j.clinph.2025.2111436.
3. The BS-SIG endorsed the Consensus Paper: “Clinical Utility of TMS-EEG” authored by 65 key opinion leaders in this field. The work provides an updated international expert review of the clinical utility of TMS–EEG, addressing current evidence, methodological considerations, and future clinical applications, and builds on the Consensus Paper by Tremblay et al. 2019, Clin Neurophysiol 2019;130:802-44.
   
   Ziemann et al., 2026. Clinical utility and prospective of TMS-EEG: Updated review from an international expert group. Clinical Neurophysiology 2111487, 10.1016/j.clinph.2025.2111487.
4. The BS-SIG was actively represented at the ICCN2026 in Cartagena, Colombia, through educational activities, scientific symposia, and an in-person SIG meeting. ICCN2026 in Cartagena, Colombia: SIG members discussed the future scientific and educational priorities of the SIG, and agreed on the development of structured education and certification programs, methodological recommendations, clinical guidelines, international collaboration, and strategies to increase the visibility and outreach of the SIG.

Publications

Consensus review and considerations on TMS to treat depression: A comprehensive update endorsed by the National Network of Depression Centers, the Clinical TMS Society, and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology - ScienceDirect

Trapp NT, Purgianto A, Taylor JJ, Singh MK, Oberman LM, Mickey BJ, et al. Consensus review and considerations on TMS to treat depression: A comprehensive update endorsed by the National Network of Depression Centers, the Clinical TMS Society, and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Clin Neurophysiol 2024;170:206-33.

A practical guide to transcranial ultrasonic stimulation from the IFCN-endorsed ITRUSST consortium - ScienceDirect

Murphy, K.R., Nandi, T., Kop, B., Osada, T., Lueckel, M., N’Djin, W.A., Caulfield, K.A., Fomenko, A., Siebner, H.R., Ugawa, Y., Verhagen, L., Bestmann, S., Martin, E., Pauly, K.B., Fouragnan, E., Bergmann, T.O., A practical guide to transcranial ultrasonic stimulation from the IFCN-endorsed ITRUSST consortium, Clinical Neurophysiology (2025), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2025.01.004

June 2025 tDCS Safety Guideline Workshop, Munich, Germany

If you are interested in joining the Brain Stimulation SIG, please complete this form.