Home-based brain stimulation shows promise in treating depression
· News-MedicalA device that delivers direct stimulation to the brain was found to be a safe and effective means of treating depression at home, according to a new study by researchers at UTHealth Houston; the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London; and the University of East London.
The research was published in Nature Medicine on Oct. 21, 2024.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of noninvasive brain stimulation that applies a weak, direct current of between 0.5 to 2 milliampere to the scalp via two electrodes. It is already commonly used in clinics to treat conditions such as psychosis and eating disorders. The clinical trial assessed tDCS that was used in a home setting and self-administered by patients.
King's College London led the international study. Co-author and lead investigator for the U.S. site was Rodrigo Machado-Vieira, MD, PhD, MSc, professor with the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
"The results from this study, which tested home-based tDCS, may represent an important advance in the mood disorders field for improving feasibility and therapeutic response with this new neuromodulation modality," Machado-Vieira said. "These latest results confirmed a positive profile for safety and efficacy similar to early studies with patients with depression and bipolar disorder, and the home-based therapy may facilitate access of this treatment to a larger number of patients."
Cynthia Fu, MD, PhD, study's senior author and professor of affective neuroscience and psychotherapy at King's College LondonThe burden of depression is mostly keenly felt by the 280 million people worldwide currently managing symptoms. While a combination of antidepressants and therapy generally proves to be effective for many people, medication can have side-effects that some can find disruptive. Our study has demonstrated that tDCS is a potential first-line option that could help those in need."
"This breakthrough publication crowns the eight years of work that has been done by the fantastic team at Flow and the team of researchers at King's College London, UTHealth Houston, and the University of East London, who led the study. 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. Chair in Psychiatry in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School.
"The study results bring promise that an innovative treatment modality may become available for patients suffering from mood disorders some time in the near future," Soares said.
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