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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Promising MDD Treatment, Feasibility Study Finds
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) showed promise as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms in a feasibility study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
“Home-based tDCS is a potential novel treatment in first-episode MDD,” researchers noted. “As all participants had received active tDCS with real-time supervision, large-scale randomized sham-controlled trials are required to investigate efficacy.”
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While continuing other treatments—such as medication, psychotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy—26 adults with MDD experiencing depressive episodes used tDCS at home in 30-minute sessions, while a researcher supervised in-person or via video call. Participants received 21 sessions over 6 weeks. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) was used to measure symptom improvement.
Of the 26 participants, 24 completed the 6-week treatment. HAMD scores significantly improved, from a mean of 19.12 at baseline to 5.33 at 6 weeks. Mean scores fluctuated over time, measuring 5.65 at 3 months. At the 6-month mark, HAMD scores reached a mean of 5.43 and 73.9% of the participants met the criteria for clinical remission.
“Home-based tDCS with real-time remote supervision was associated with significant improvements in depressive symptoms in moderate to severe severity of MDD, which were maintained at the long term follow up,” researchers concluded. “The treatment showed high acceptability, tolerability, and safety.”
