Charge-balanced biphasic pulse

The standard ICMS waveform: a cathodic (usually excitatory) phase immediately followed by an anodic phase carrying an equal and opposite charge, so the net charge injected each cycle is approximately zero. Charge balancing is not optional dressing; a residual DC component would drive irreversible Faradaic reactions at the electrode, producing electrolysis, local pH shifts, gas evolution, electrode corrosion and tissue damage.

Refinements shape the tradeoff between charge recovery and stimulation efficiency: an interphase gap lets the cathodic-driven excitation take hold before the reversing phase suppresses it, asymmetric waveforms (short high cathodic, long low anodic) recover charge while preserving efficacy, and passive shorting between pulses discharges any residual imbalance. All of this aims to keep the electrode–tissue interface within its reversible, capacitive charge-injection regime.