Summary: A innovative research demonstrates that home-based transcranial strong current excitement (tDCS) is a safe and effective method for treating depression. When compared to control class participants in the study, participants who used advertisement at home reported significantly improved depressive symptoms.
The remedy, which sends a light electric current to the brain, does offer a more accessible option to conventional treatments for people with moderate to severe depression. This development may make it easier for millions of depressed people to find and receive successful treatment.
Important Facts:
- Home-based eeg was found to be safe and effective for treating depression.
- Three times more patients who had been given energetic tDCS than controls had recovery rates.
- This noninvasive method could be a novel first-line solution for managing depression.
Origin: UT Houston
A new research from academics at UTHealth Houston, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &, Science at King’s College London, and the University of East London found a system that delivers immediate excitement to the brain to be a safe and effective treatment for depression at house.
The study was published in , Nature Medicine , on Oct. 21, 2024.
A form of invasive brain stimulation known as transcranial clear existing stimulation (tDCS) sends a weak direct current of 0. 5 to 2 milliampere through two electrodes to the scalp. It is already being used frequently in hospitals to treat conditions like eating disorders and schizophrenia. TDCS was self-administrated by patients in a home environment during the clinical trial.
King’s College London led the worldwide study. Co-author and lead analyst for the U. S. site was  , Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, MD, PhD, MSc, teacher with the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in McGovern Medical School at , UTHealth Houston.
According to Machado-Vieira, the results of this study, which examined home-based tDCS, may represent a significant advance in the field of mood disorders in terms of improving the feasibility and medical response to this novel neuromodulation modality.
The home-based treatment may increase the availability of this treatment to a larger number of patients, according to these latest findings, which demonstrated a positive report for safety and efficacy similar to early reports with people with depression and bipolar disorder.
174 adults who had been diagnosed with extreme to mild depression were included in the study. They were chosen from a choice of either active or inactive tDCS, which used the same device but did n’t offer any current.
Members received five 30-minute sessions per week for the first three months, followed by three 30-minute classes per week for the following seven days.  ,
In contrast to those in the dormant placebo control arm, participants in the active arm of the trial showed significant changes in the severity of their depression, as well as an entire medical response and recovery.
In the active treatment arm, 44.9 % of patients in the active arm reported a remission rate, compared to 21.8 % of the control group, which was three times higher than the placebo arm.  ,  ,
” The 280 million people worldwide who are currently managing symptoms are primarily affected by the burden of depression. Although a combination of antidepressants and therapy generally proves effective for many people, some people may experience side effects that can be disruptive.
” Our study has demonstrated that tDCS is a potential first-line option that could help those in need,” said Cynthia Fu, MD, PhD, the study’s senior author and a professor of affective neuroscience and psychotherapy at , King’s College London.
” There is no such thing as the perfect medical intervention. Medication can have unintended side effects, while therapy is both time- and resource-intensive.
According to Rachel Woodham, MSc, the study’s first author and research assistant at the , University of East London, “our hope is that tDCS can provide a third option for people with moderate to severe depression to help them better manage their symptoms.”  ,
The outstanding team at Flow and the team of researchers at King’s College London, UTHealth Houston, and the University of East London, who conducted the study, have collaborated for eight years to produce this groundbreaking publication.  ,
” Nature Medicine , is one of the top medical journals in the world, and this publication speaks to the quality of the study design and results. Our core mission was, and still is, to create a treatment that is effective, safe, and accessible to as many people as possible,” said Daniel Månsson, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, which funded the study.
UTHealth Houston co-author and co-lead investigator for the U. S. site was Jair Soares, MD, PhD,  , professor and the Pat R. Rutherford, Jr. Director of Psychiatry at McGovern Medical School, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
The study’s findings “prove that an innovative treatment modality may be made available for patients with mood disorders some time in the near future,” Soares said.  ,
About this research on depression and brain stimulation
Author: Deborah Lake
Source: UT Houston
Contact: Deborah Lake – UT Houston
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
A phase 2 randomized, entirely remote trial conducted by Rodrigo Machado-Vieira and colleagues, entitled” Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation treatment for major depressive disorder.” Nature Medicine
Abstract
Major depressive disorder at home: a phase 2 randomized, sham-controlled trial with a completely remote placebo-controlled trial.
Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) patients have been suggested for the first time using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
This is a fully remote, multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized superiority trial of 10-week home-based tDCS in MDD.
Participants were 18 years or older, and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( mean = 19.07- 2.733 ) indicated that they had MDD in their most recent depressive episode of at least moderate severity. A total of 174 participants ( 120 women, 54 men ) were randomized to active ( n = 87, mean age = 37.09 ± 11.14 years ) or sham ( n = 87, mean age = 38.32 ± 10.92 years ) treatment.
In a 10-week trial, three sessions per week for three weeks, followed by a 10-week open-label phase, which consisted of five sessions per week for three weeks. The anode was placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for each 30-minute session, and the cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ( active tDCS 2 mA and sham tDCS 0 mA, with brief ramp up and down to simulate active stimulation ).
As the primary outcome, depressive symptoms showed significant improvement when measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: active 9.41 ± 6.25 point improvement ( 10-week mean = 9.58 ± 6.02 ) and sham 7.14 ± 6.10 point improvement ( 10-week mean = 11.66 ± 5.96 ) (95 % confidence interval = 0.51–4.01,  , P = 0.012 ). There were no differences in the frequency of discontinuation.
In summary, a 10-week home-based tDCS treatment with remote supervision in MDD showed high efficacy, acceptability and safety. ClinicalTrials. gov registration:  , NCT05202119
