The region behind
every clear thought.
The dlPFC governs working memory, executive function, and emotional regulation. Under stress, elevated cortisol suppresses dlPFC activity — degrading your ability to plan, prioritise, and sustain attention. A 2024 meta-modelling study across 67 studies found that accuracy and speed improvements trace to dissociable anatomical substrates within the prefrontal cortex. Position determines outcome.
Ready in
under a minute.
Spray the sponges, place the band across the hairline, and wait for the impedance check. The app confirms when contact is good — then the session begins automatically.
Spray the sponges
20–25 sprays on each sponge. Saline bottle included.
Place over the hairline
Tilt the arm forward, wear across the hairline over the dlPFC.
10 kΩ+ — Locked
0–10 kΩ — Session begins
Impedance check
Below 10 kΩ — session begins. Above — re-spray and reseat.
Spray the sponges
20–25 sprays on each sponge. Saline bottle included.
Place over the hairline
Tilt the arm forward, wear across the hairline over the dlPFC.
10 kΩ+ — Locked
0–10 kΩ — Session begins
Impedance check
Below 10 kΩ — session begins. Above — re-spray and reseat.
Your nervous system
decides the start time.
Before every session, the PPG sensor classifies your cognitive zone in real time. If you're outside the target window, the boost stays locked — and the system works to shift you there.
Boost locked
The PPG sensor samples at 100 Hz, classifying your state in real time — from Drowsy through Brain Fog to Focused. In the Anxious zone — sympathetic overdrive, prefrontal activity suppressed — stimulation stays off.
Dubreuil-Vall et al. (2019) · State-dependent tDCSSoundscape active
A soundscape matched to your zone begins. Alpha binaural beats (10 Hz) calm frontal arousal first. Lower frequencies follow gradually — introduced in short bursts once your PPG confirms tolerance. The system monitors continuously.
Beauchene et al. (2016) · Alpha binaural & frontal EEGBoost unlocked
When the stress model registers sufficient improvement, the boost unlocks on its own. No timer to set — the device decides when you're ready. Only then does stimulation begin.
Dubreuil-Vall et al. (2019) · State-dependent tDCSThe current lowers the threshold.
Your work crosses it.
At 2 mA, tDCS shifts neurons in the target region closer to their firing threshold — they become more responsive to whatever cognitive signal you give them. Sessions run 20 minutes. The excitability window lasts 90 minutes after. What you do in that window is the second half of what you are buying.
Effect size by protocol
tDCS alone
Single session, healthy adults
Horvath et al., 2015 · 59 analyses
tDCS + concurrent task
Online stimulation during active work
Dedoncker et al., 2016 · 61 studies
tDCS + WM training
Sychedelic protocolMulti-session, task-congruent
Scientific Reports, 2017 · N=71
What qualifies
What doesn't
"The current doesn't cause neurons to fire. It makes them want to — and the task you give them is what pulls the trigger."
Dr. Marom Bikson
City College of New York · Bikson et al. (2016)
The signal builds.
Session 20 is the proof.
tDCS is not a switch. It is a training amplifier. The protocol runs 25 sessions — with two clinical milestones the research has confirmed.
Calibration
Ramp from 1 mA to 2 mA. Each session creates a temporary 90-minute excitability window. Tingling under the electrode normalises by session 3. Effects do not persist between sessions yet — the neural path hasn't formed.
Nitsche & Paulus, 2001 · NeurologyFirst Signal
Cumulative LTP begins. Work while stimulated — each session deepens the groove. Around session 10, the difference shows up on off-days. That is the signal that structural change is occurring.
Consolidation
Focus starts to feel less effortful. Stress-mediated cognitive degradation attenuates. Sleep quality improves for users with disrupted sleep. Session 20 is the Zhou et al. (2020) clinical endpoint — the largest multi-session tDCS RCT in sleep in the field.
Maintenance
Move to alternating active and rest weeks. Prevents adaptation and preserves stimulation sensitivity. There is no long-term safety data for >20 consecutive sessions — the rest week is the precautionary boundary.
Bikson et al., 2016 · Brain StimulationCalibration
Ramp from 1 mA to 2 mA. Each session creates a temporary 90-minute excitability window. Tingling under the electrode normalises by session 3. Effects do not persist between sessions yet — the neural path hasn't formed.
Nitsche & Paulus, 2001 · NeurologyFirst Signal
Cumulative LTP begins. Work while stimulated — each session deepens the groove. Around session 10, the difference shows up on off-days. That is the signal that structural change is occurring.
Consolidation
Focus starts to feel less effortful. Stress-mediated cognitive degradation attenuates. Sleep quality improves for users with disrupted sleep. Session 20 is the Zhou et al. (2020) clinical endpoint — the largest multi-session tDCS RCT in sleep in the field.
Maintenance
Move to alternating active and rest weeks. Prevents adaptation and preserves stimulation sensitivity. There is no long-term safety data for >20 consecutive sessions — the rest week is the precautionary boundary.
Bikson et al., 2016 · Brain Stimulation>0 sessions.
Know the envelope.
Bikson et al. (2016, Brain Stimulation) examined >33,200 sessions across >1,000 subjects. No serious adverse events at ≤4 mA, ≤40 min per session. Sychedelic operates at 2.0 mA and 20 minutes — well within the established safe range.
Normal. Expected. Fine.
Mild tingling or itching under the electrode in the first 30–60 seconds. Normalises after session 2–3.
Transient scalp redness at the electrode site after the session. Resolves within 30 minutes.
Heightened mental clarity during the 90-minute post-stimulation window.
Stop. Consult a physician.
Persistent headache after a session (beyond 1 hour)
Visual disturbances — phosphenes (light flashes) during or after stimulation
Skin irritation, burns, or blistering at the electrode site
Mood changes or unusual irritability following sessions
Any neurological symptom that feels out of the ordinary
Normal. Expected. Fine.
Mild tingling or itching under the electrode in the first 30–60 seconds. Normalises after session 2–3.
Transient scalp redness at the electrode site after the session. Resolves within 30 minutes.
Heightened mental clarity during the 90-minute post-stimulation window.
Stop. Consult a physician.
Persistent headache after a session (beyond 1 hour)
Visual disturbances — phosphenes (light flashes) during or after stimulation
Skin irritation, burns, or blistering at the electrode site
Mood changes or unusual irritability following sessions
Any neurological symptom that feels out of the ordinary
Do not use if:
Metal implants in or near the head (cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, surgical plates)
Cardiac pacemaker or implanted defibrillator
Personal or family history of epilepsy or unprovoked seizures
Active skin conditions, wounds, or eczema at the electrode sites
Pregnancy
Medications that lower the seizure threshold — consult your prescribing physician
Hardware safety design
4 mA
hardwired ceiling
The circuit cannot exceed 4 mA. Not a software limit — a component limit. Sychedelic operates at 2.0 mA — half the hardware maximum.
Constant current
topology
Current is fixed at the set level. If electrode contact degrades, voltage compensates — up to the compliance ceiling, then stops. Current never spikes.
20 min
auto-shutdown
Session end is enforced by a hardware timer, not the app. The device stops at 20 minutes regardless of software state.
Live
impedance monitoring
Electrode drying mid-session triggers a controlled current ramp-down before the compliance ceiling is reached. Not a spike. Not a cut. A ramp.
We include the papers
that say no.
Cherry-picking studies is how weak products get funded. Two of the six below are the most-cited null results in the tDCS field. They are here because they define exactly where this technology works — and where it does not. That boundary is what the Sychedelic protocol is built around.
The Evidence Brief
25 papers, scored
and summarised.
We reviewed the evidence for tDCS — including the null results, the safety envelope, and the honest limits of what the research shows. Enter your email and it lands in your inbox.
The questions
worth answering.
Cortisol-lowering activities — cold exposure, breathwork, exercise — reduce sympathetic arousal and raise HRV baseline before the session starts. A higher HRV baseline means the Read phase classifies you into the target zone faster, and the Boost unlocks sooner. The sequence the data supports: Cortisol Reset Sychedelic Session Deep Work Block. Morning sessions before 2 PM align with the natural cortisol curve, when prefrontal activity is highest and the post-stimulation excitability window has the most runway.
Strahler et al. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · Diurnal cortisol and prefrontal function
Morning — ideally ending before 10 AM. tDCS elevates cortical excitability in the post-stimulation window; natural prefrontal upregulation peaks in the first half of the morning and declines after the midday cortisol dip. A session ending at 8:20 AM creates a peak cognitive window from 8:20 to 9:50 AM — the highest-value block of the day for focused work. Afternoon sessions still produce the effect; they just compete with the natural decline rather than riding it.
Nitsche & Paulus (2000) · J Physiol · Post-stimulation excitability windows in tDCS
The protocol is forgiving. The cumulative effect of tDCS is mediated by long-term potentiation (LTP) — a synaptic mechanism that accumulates incrementally and does not reset overnight. Missing one or two sessions in a 25-session arc has no documented effect on outcomes in the clinical literature. The rest week built into the protocol after session 10 is itself a deliberate gap. Pick up where you left off.
Bikson et al. (2016) · Brain Stimulation · Safety and tolerability of tDCS protocols
Yes. The device is battery-powered, produces no RF emissions during operation, and contains no restricted components under TSA or IATA guidelines. It generates a low-level DC current between two surface electrodes — no wireless signal, no ionising radiation, no pressurised contents. Carry-on only; do not check it.
IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations · Battery-powered medical devices: permitted carry-on
Both clinical milestones are real and appear at different points. Most users report subjective improvement within 5–8 sessions — this corresponds to the early phase of LTP induction. The more durable structural change, reflected in sustained HRV improvement and reduced resting sympathetic tone, typically consolidates around session 20. The 25-session arc is a clinical benchmark, not an arbitrary number. You will notice something earlier; you will keep it later.
Zhou et al. (2020) · Sleep Medicine · 20-session tDCS RCT — PSQI improvement sustained through maintenance phase (PMID 32179428)
Biocompatible cellulose. Cellulose is the standard substrate in published clinical tDCS research — it holds ionic solution uniformly, distributes current evenly across the electrode surface, and does not degrade in the wet/dry cycles of a typical protocol. The included sponges are medical-grade. Two are active per session; the third is the dry spare you swap in immediately after the session ends.
Woods et al. (2015) · Clin Neurophysiol · Standard sponge electrode preparation in tDCS
The headband is adjustable. You tighten it until you feel consistent pressure at both electrode positions — F3 and F4 on the left and right prefrontal cortex. The rare-earth magnets guide the electrodes to the correct anatomical landmarks; the adjustable fit ensures they stay there with sufficient contact pressure regardless of head geometry. The impedance reading before every session is the final confirmation that placement and pressure are correct.
No — and the reason is mechanistic, not precautionary. Long-term potentiation (LTP) requires a consolidation window after induction. Running a second session before consolidation is complete does not double the effect; it interferes with it. The published literature consistently uses a minimum of 24 hours between sessions. The Sychedelic protocol uses 3 sessions per week specifically to allow full inter-session consolidation. More sessions per day is not a faster path — it is a different, unvalidated protocol.
Nitsche et al. (2008) · Brain Stimulation · Pharmacological modulation of cortical excitability shifts induced by tDCS
They work through entirely different mechanisms and operate on different time horizons — so the comparison is less "which is better" and more "what are you actually doing to your brain." Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, temporarily masking the signal that tells your brain it is fatigued. The alert feeling is real; the underlying fatigue is not resolved. Tolerance builds within days, and dependency means the baseline you are trying to beat is partly withdrawal. tDCS does not interact with adenosine. It reduces the firing threshold of prefrontal circuits via NMDA-dependent long-term potentiation — the same synaptic mechanism behind learning. The effect accumulates across sessions; there is no documented tolerance mechanism. The research does not claim tDCS outperforms caffeine for acute performance. What it shows is that tDCS modifies the circuits that determine performance capacity — caffeine manages how tired those circuits feel.
Nehlig (2010) · Neuropharmacology · Caffeine as adenosine receptor antagonist · Nitsche & Paulus (2000) · J Physiol · tDCS and NMDA-dependent LTP
Not yet. Raw CSV export, Apple Health integration, and Oura sync are on the confirmed roadmap — shipping Q4 2026. Every session is logged locally in the app from day one, so your full history will be available when export launches. Nothing is lost in the interim.
Reserve yours.
Before the price goes up.
Early users reporting measurable focus shifts within the first week.
Founding price locked for early backers
