Table 2.

COVID-19 and International Accommodations in Brain Stimulation Research SettingSurvey

data were collected from April 30, 2020 to May 6, 2020. To date, data on 28 institutes have been collected from 17 countries. Phase 0 refers to the challenges that affected research activities with respect to COVID-19. Phase 1 refers to what activities have been implemented in response to the pandemic. Phase 2 refers to the precautions planned or already implemented during the reopening of NIBS labs.

Country	Name of the institution	Start date of restrictions	(Planned) date of easing the restrictions	Restrictions	Phase 0	Phase 1	Phase 2
Australia	Monash University and Epworth Healthcare	Beginning of April	To be decided, returning to campus is allowed after June 1, 2020	•Interruption of ongoing preclinical studies •TMS studies suspended	•Data loss from ongoing studies •Interruption of data collection •Re-organization of tDCS studies for remote administration •Follow-up of recruited participants	•Implementation of teleworking •Data collection from remote studies	•Basic hygiene precautions∗
Austria	University of Graz	March 11, 2020	Mid-May	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing •Strengthening collaboration across centers	•PPE •Sanitization protocols •Single-subject test sessions
Belgium	Université Libre de Bruxelles	March 15, 2020	To be decided	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•To be decided
Belgium	Ghent University	March 17, 2020	May 4, 2020 (under strict safety conditions)	•Interruption of research activities (preclinical and clinical)	•Interruption of data collection •Data loss from ongoing TMS studies	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•Continuation of teleconferencing •Basic hygiene precautions∗
Brazil	Federal University of Espírito Santo	March 18, 2020	To be decided	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleconferencing	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Checklists for staff and patients •Rescheduled treatment sessions •Shift schedules for all professionals •Individualized devices and single-use packages for stimulation Immunity passports
Brazil	University of Sao Paulo	March 12, 2020	end of July	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Data mining •Computational modelling •Remote patient follow-up •Implementation of teleconferencing •Development of a questionnaire to measure COVID-19-related anxiety	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Checklists for staff and patients •Rescheduled treatment sessions •Shift schedules for all professionals •Individualized devices and single-use packages for stimulation •Immunity passports
Canada	University of Calgary	March 20, 2020	Likely May or June 2020	•Interruption of most clinical operations; continuation of urgent patients and acute care	•Interruption of data collection •Early career scientists losing time and opportunities	•Virtual clinics •Pooling data across labs for new analysis opportunities	•Priority to young early career scientists •Structured screening system
China	Shanghai Mental Health Center	Jan 29, 2020	May 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing •Re-analyzing previously collected data
China	University of Science and Technology of China	February 1, 2020	May 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Regular meetings for Journal Clubs were stopped	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Controlled entrance to campus
Denmark	Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre	March 13, 2020	To be decided, treatment-related research is resumed after May 4, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Delays in projects •Potential depletion of project funding	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing •Daily updates on COVID-19	•Training for all researchers •Mitigation plan based on national and international standards •Reopening gradually •Screening patients •Rescheduling patients (only one at a time)
Denmark	Technical University of Denmark	March 12, 2020	To be decided, partial reopening with some lab activities and in-person work with patients after May 4, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Delays in projects •Potential depletion of project funding	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•Continuation of teleconferencing and remote work if possible •Sanitization protocols •Social distancing
Germany	Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences	March 13, 2020	April 27, 2020 (with restrictions)	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Having to close a study without meeting the predefined sample size	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•PPE •Testing of patients
Germany	University Medical Center Göttingen	March 20, 2020	Partial reopening from May 4-11, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Pause of recently started studies •Lower statistical power for studies terminated earlier	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•Shift schedule for all professionals •Rescheduled treatment sessions •Social distancing rules
India	Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education	March 23, 2020	Not specified	•Non-urgency activity suspended	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking •Implementation of teleconferencing	•Basic hygiene precautions∗
Iran	National Brain Mapping Lab (NBML)	February 23, 2020	April 4, 2020	•Interruption of all preclinical experiments •Interruption of all in-person study activities	•Interruption of data collection •Decreased number of sessions and incoming projects	•Implementation of teleworking •Webinars	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Measuring the temperature of patients •Assessment by a doctor at the reception •Instructions for patients and staff
Italy	Novella Fronda Foundation	March 9, 2020	May 18, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Data loss from ongoing studies	•Implementation of teleworking	•PPE or transparent face shields •Rescheduling patients (only one at a time) •Measuring the temperature of patients
Italy	IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation	March 9, 2020	May 18, 2020	•Interruption of ongoing research	•Interruption of data collection •Home-based protocols are not yet approved	•Implementation of teleworking	•PPE or transparent face shields •Rescheduling patients (only one at a time) •Measuring the temperature of patients
Japan	Nagoya Institute of Technology	April 10, 2020 Students are not allowed to access the University from March 9, 2020	Likely May 7, 2020	•All ongoing studies and lab activities suspended	•Financial burdens and uncertainties •Need to complete all preclinical research by the end of fiscal year after reopening	•Computational experiments remotely •Implementation of teleworking •Communication with collaborators	•Assessment of symptoms •Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Ventilation of the rooms
Portugal	University of Coimbra	March 9, 2020	Approximately mid-May 2020	•All ongoing studies suspended	•Potential loss of data on multiple session studies	•Conduction of online experiments later implemented in the lab’s work •Implementation of teleworking	•PPE Sanitization protocols
Russia	National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Neurology, St.-Petersburg	March 26, 2020	Approximately mid-May 2020	•All ongoing studies suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Data loss from ongoing studies	•Implementation of teleworking	•To be decided
Switzerland	NCM lab, ETH Zürich	March 16, 2020	June 8, 2020 for low risk volunteers Unclear for vulnerable populations	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Data loss from ongoing studies •Psychological effects of COVID-19 might influence the data	•Implementation of teleworking	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Remote data collection if possible •Scheduling office use •Measuring the temperature of participants •Ventilation of rooms •Switch to a round coil if possible
Switzerland	Zürich Center of Neuroeconomics, University of Zürich	March 16, 2020	May 15, 2020 (or sooner depending on authorization)	•All ongoing studies suspended	•Interruption of data collection •Decreased testing capacity due to safety precautions •Fewer healthy participants •Lower statistical power for studies terminated earlier	•Implementation of teleworking •New lab routines to keep staff motivated •Analysis of data from nearly complete studies	•Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Remote data collection if possible •Scheduling office use •Monitoring the infection of staff members •Measuring the temperature of participants
United Kingdom	Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London	March 9, 2020	To be decided, maybe January 2021	•Interruption of ongoing research	•Contacting patients is not allowed for remote research purposes •Illness of staff members (COVID-19 was not confirmed but symptoms were similar) •Support for junior lab members who live alone	•Implementation of teleworking •New lab routines to keep staff motivated •Collecting follow-up data remotely •Participation to online workshops	•PPE •Home-based tDCS •Shift schedules for staff members •Social distancing measures
United Kingdom	University of Oxford	March 13, 2020	To be decided	•Interruption of ongoing research (clinical and preclinical)	•Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking •Conducting modelling and in silico studies	•To be decided
FL, USA	University of Florida	March 13, 2020	TBD, tentatively June 1, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Data loss from ongoing studies •Interruption of data collection and recently commenced studies •Drop-out of subjects with interrupted protocol •Delayed completion of multisite clinical trials •Need to recruit new subjects when restarting the studies	•Implementation of teleworking	•Single-use sponges and head fixture devices for tES •Basic hygiene precautions∗ •Training for staff and students •COVID-19 participant screening (temperature and symptom questionnaire •COVID-19 testing for all staff •PPE for staff and participants
MA, USA	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Baystate Medical Center	March 20, 2020	May 18, 2020	•All ongoing studies and in-person activities suspended	•Data loss from ongoing studies •Interruption of data collection	•Implementation of teleworking	•Questionnaire or checklist to assess COVID-19 risk •Testing for COVID-19 •PPE •Remote or home stimulation
NY, USA	NYU Langone Health, New York NY	March 10, 2020	Early June 2020	•Interruption of all outpatient visits outside of standard care or justified risk	•Redeployed research staff to work remotely •Continued all ongoing treatments using remote home-based tele-treatment (Remotely Supervised tDCS) •Received IRB approval for remote consenting and continued enrollment	•Continue tele-research program with home-based remotely supervised tDCS •Protocol for sanitation of equipment, including shipments (incoming and outgoing) of equipment to participants	•PPE •Alternating remote and onsite schedules for staff members •Social distancing measures •Continue tele-research program with home-based remotely supervised tDCS
MN, USA	Pediatric Neuromodulation Laboratory University of Minnesota	March 17, 2020	‘Sunrise Plan’ Implementation In Process, TBD	•All studies considered ‘non-essential operations’ on immediate hold, which placed infant and child stroke studies on hold	•Data loss from studies in process and cancelled assessment and intervention sessions •Loss of participants with interrupted protocol, infants will now likely age out of the study dependent upon safety and date of reimplementation •Delayed completion of clinical trials •Continuous monitoring of inpatient pediatric census for return to research and new recruitment •Research staff/trainees established for secure at-home access and productivity	•Secured IRB approval for two COVID-19 related studies in feasibility/reliability of pediatric tele-neuromodulation and a Family Impact to Rehabilitation Access On-Line Survey •Protocol for training, safety and implementation of tele-neuromodulation in the pediatric population	•PPE •Shift schedules for staff/trainees •Social distancing measures with modifications for child/family interactions and infant positioning for neuromodulation •Continue tele-research program with home-based remotely supervised tDCS to advance from feasibility/reliability to efficacy •Testing for COVID-19 as per University protocols •PPE for staff/trainees and participants

tDCS: transcranial direct current stimulation; TMS: transcranial magnetic stimulation; tES: transcranial electrical stimulation; PPE: personal protective equipment.

basic hygiene precautions∗: PPE, sanitization, social distancing.