The Commission has launched a public consultation on health hazards and risks associated with the use of brain stimulators for non-medical purpose.
Participants to the consultation are asked to comment on the preliminary opinion of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) on this issue.
The SCHEER preliminary opinion suggests strong evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) by transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial electrical stimulation is safe, when applied under professional supervision and when using the latest safety guidelines. However, information on the non-medical use of NIBS is limited. Moreover, there are concerns around the unsupervised use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at home, using ‘do it yourself’ devices.
Brain stimulation involves activating or inhibiting certain parts of the brain using electricity, magnetic or electromagnetic fields that penetrate the cranium. The EU’s Medical Devices Regulation defines the use of devices for medical purposes including diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, prediction, prognosis, treatment or alleviation of disease.
Interested parties are invited to submit their comments until 2 February 2026 at: Consultations – European Commission
More information:
Source: European Commission | Public Health | In the spotlight (https://tinyurl.com/4cvrr2m4)