Electrical currents impact in human physiology

The use and application of electrical currents as a controlled interference mechanism in the human body system is currently a strong source of motivation to researchers in areas such as clinical sports neuroscience amongst others. In electrical stimulation (ES) the current applied to tissue is traditionally controlled concerning stimulation amplitude frequency and pulse-width. The main drawbacks of the transcutaneous ES are the rapid fatigue induction and the high discomfort induced by the non-selective activation of nervous fibers. There are however electrophysiological parameters whose response like the response to different stimulation waveforms polarity or a personalized charge control is still unknown. Current ES hardware lack flexibility on stimulation control and physiological response assessment. In this context a miniaturized portable and wireless controlled device with ES functions fully integrated with a biosignals acquisition platform has been created. The impact of the methodologies developed is successfully applied and evaluated in the contexts of fundamental electrophysiology psycho-motor rehabilitation and neuromuscular disorders diagnosis.