What Do We Know about Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Major Depression?

The interest in using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for the treatment of major depression (MD), including treatment resistant depression, is growing rapidly. The paper by Bennabi and Haffen (<i>Brain Sci.</i> <b>2018</b>, <i>8</i>) was an important step to...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Derrick Matthew Buchanan, Philippe Robaey, Amedeo D’Angiulli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Brain Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/8/480
Description
Summary:The interest in using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for the treatment of major depression (MD), including treatment resistant depression, is growing rapidly. The paper by Bennabi and Haffen (<i>Brain Sci.</i> <b>2018</b>, <i>8</i>) was an important step towards the formal acceptance of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a possible form of therapy. Their review demonstrated favourable support for the beneficial effects of tDCS for MD, coupled with necessary practical considerations, such as its relatively low cost, portability/ease of use in clinical settings, non-invasiveness, and good tolerability. Here, we provide a follow-up to their review and sketch a current update. Means for optimizing tDCS efficacy and potential limitations of current studies are discussed.
ISSN:2076-3425