Home-Based Brain Stimulation for Treating Depression
Post by Soumilee Chaudhuri
The takeaway
This study tested a non-invasive at-home device that uses a portable version of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for people with major depressive disorder (MDD). In a 10-week trial, adults with moderate depression who used the device showed more remarkable symptom improvement than those who did not. The device proved safe, effective, and easy to manage from home with remote support, suggesting it could be a valuable new option for treating depression.
What's the science?
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest in daily activities, and disturbances in sleep, appetite, and energy levels. It is typically treated with antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. However, about one-third of people with MDD do not fully respond to these treatments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive alternative that uses a mild electrical current to stimulate specific brain areas involved in mood regulation. This is typically done by placing electrodes on the scalp of one's head, with one electrode applying a small positive current and the other using an opposing current. This stimulative process can help improve brain function by adjusting the excitation level of these critical brain regions. Additionally, tDCS is portable and potentially more accessible, and previous studies have shown that it can improve depression symptoms, but most have required in-person visits. Therefore, this study aimed to test whether a 10-week at-home version of tDCS, with remote monitoring, could be an effective and practical solution for treating depression.
How did they do it?
The study enrolled one hundred seventy-four participants (120 women, 54 men) with a mean age of 37.63 years, all of whom met the criteria for MDD as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the active tDCS treatment group and the placebo (sham) group, where the device did not work. Both groups had 87 people each, and the treatment lasted for 10 weeks. Most participants were on stable medication or therapy before joining the study.
What did they find?
Over 10 weeks, participants who received active tDCS demonstrated significant improvements in depression-related outcomes, including reductions in overall symptom severity and higher rates of response to treatment or remission, compared to those receiving the sham treatment. On average, scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) in people in the active group went down by approximately 9 points, in contrast with a decrease of 7 points in the placebo group. The active treatment group had more participants (58%) whose symptoms improved by at least half, compared to just 38% in the placebo group. The active tDCS group also exhibited 2 to 3 times higher symptom improvement rates than the sham group. As the study included individuals with varying types of depression, including first-episode depression, recurrent depression, and treatment-resistant depression, these results indicated that tDCS was beneficial across all subgroups of MDD. Compared to prior studies in the field with shorter treatment protocols, the current study's 10-week treatment period showed better results in decreasing symptoms of depression. Additionally, while some participants experienced mild side effects, such as skin irritation at the stimulation site, these were rare and were not serious or long-term.
What's the impact?
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 10-week home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. The results provide strong evidence that home-based tDCS is an effective and safe intervention for reducing depressive symptoms. This makes it a promising alternative for individuals with MDD, including those with treatment-resistant forms of the disorder or who might not have easy access to traditional in-person therapy. The findings of this study could significantly impact the field of depression treatment, offering a new, accessible, and effective option for those who do not respond to traditional therapies.