Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has antidepressant effects in unipolar depression, but there is limited information for patients with bipolar depression. Additionally, prior research suggests that brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met genotype may moderate response to tDCS. Objective: To examine tDCS efficacy in unipolar and bipolar depression and assess if BDNF genotype is associated with antidepressant response to tDCS. Methods: 130 participants diagnosed with a major depressive episode were randomized to receive active (2.5 milliamps (mA), 30 min) or sham (0.034 mA and two 60-second current ramps up to 1 and 0.5 mA) tDCS to the left prefrontal cortex, administered in 20 sessions over 4 weeks, in a double-blinded, international multisite study. Mixed effects repeated measures analyses assessed change in mood and neuropsychological scores in participants with at least one post-baseline rating in the unipolar (N = 84) and bipolar (N = 36) samples. Results: Mood improved significantly over the 4-week treatment period in both unipolar (p = 0.001) and bipolar groups (p < 0.001). Among participants with unipolar depression, there were more remitters in the sham treatment group (p = 0.03). There was no difference between active and sham stimulation in the bipolar sample. BDNF genotype was unrelated to antidepressant outcome. Conclusions: Overall, this study found no antidepressant difference between active and sham stimulation for unipolar or bipolar depression. However, the possibility that the low current delivered in the sham tDCS condition was biologically active cannot be discounted. Moreover, BDNF genotype did not moderate antidepressant outcome. Clinical Trials Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01562184.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Brain Stimulation |
| DOIs | |
| State | Accepted/In press - 2017 |
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Keywords
- Brain derived neurotrophic factor
- Depression
- Efficacy
- Randomized controlled trial
- Safety
- Transcranial direct current stimulation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Biophysics
- Clinical Neurology
Cite this
International randomized-controlled trial of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in depression. / Loo, Colleen K.; Husain, Mustafa M.; McDonald, William M.; Aaronson, Scott; O'Reardon, John P.; Alonzo, Angelo; Weickert, Cynthia Shannon; Martin, Donel M.; McClintock, Shawn M.; Mohan, Adith; Lisanby, Sarah H.
In: Brain Stimulation, 2017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - International randomized-controlled trial of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in depression
AU - Loo, Colleen K.
AU - Husain, Mustafa M.
AU - McDonald, William M.
AU - Aaronson, Scott
AU - O'Reardon, John P.
AU - Alonzo, Angelo
AU - Weickert, Cynthia Shannon
AU - Martin, Donel M.
AU - McClintock, Shawn M.
AU - Mohan, Adith
AU - Lisanby, Sarah H.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Background: Evidence suggests that transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has antidepressant effects in unipolar depression, but there is limited information for patients with bipolar depression. Additionally, prior research suggests that brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met genotype may moderate response to tDCS. Objective: To examine tDCS efficacy in unipolar and bipolar depression and assess if BDNF genotype is associated with antidepressant response to tDCS. Methods: 130 participants diagnosed with a major depressive episode were randomized to receive active (2.5 milliamps (mA), 30 min) or sham (0.034 mA and two 60-second current ramps up to 1 and 0.5 mA) tDCS to the left prefrontal cortex, administered in 20 sessions over 4 weeks, in a double-blinded, international multisite study. Mixed effects repeated measures analyses assessed change in mood and neuropsychological scores in participants with at least one post-baseline rating in the unipolar (N = 84) and bipolar (N = 36) samples. Results: Mood improved significantly over the 4-week treatment period in both unipolar (p = 0.001) and bipolar groups (p < 0.001). Among participants with unipolar depression, there were more remitters in the sham treatment group (p = 0.03). There was no difference between active and sham stimulation in the bipolar sample. BDNF genotype was unrelated to antidepressant outcome. Conclusions: Overall, this study found no antidepressant difference between active and sham stimulation for unipolar or bipolar depression. However, the possibility that the low current delivered in the sham tDCS condition was biologically active cannot be discounted. Moreover, BDNF genotype did not moderate antidepressant outcome. Clinical Trials Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01562184.
AB - Background: Evidence suggests that transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has antidepressant effects in unipolar depression, but there is limited information for patients with bipolar depression. Additionally, prior research suggests that brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met genotype may moderate response to tDCS. Objective: To examine tDCS efficacy in unipolar and bipolar depression and assess if BDNF genotype is associated with antidepressant response to tDCS. Methods: 130 participants diagnosed with a major depressive episode were randomized to receive active (2.5 milliamps (mA), 30 min) or sham (0.034 mA and two 60-second current ramps up to 1 and 0.5 mA) tDCS to the left prefrontal cortex, administered in 20 sessions over 4 weeks, in a double-blinded, international multisite study. Mixed effects repeated measures analyses assessed change in mood and neuropsychological scores in participants with at least one post-baseline rating in the unipolar (N = 84) and bipolar (N = 36) samples. Results: Mood improved significantly over the 4-week treatment period in both unipolar (p = 0.001) and bipolar groups (p < 0.001). Among participants with unipolar depression, there were more remitters in the sham treatment group (p = 0.03). There was no difference between active and sham stimulation in the bipolar sample. BDNF genotype was unrelated to antidepressant outcome. Conclusions: Overall, this study found no antidepressant difference between active and sham stimulation for unipolar or bipolar depression. However, the possibility that the low current delivered in the sham tDCS condition was biologically active cannot be discounted. Moreover, BDNF genotype did not moderate antidepressant outcome. Clinical Trials Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01562184.
KW - Brain derived neurotrophic factor
KW - Depression
KW - Efficacy
KW - Randomized controlled trial
KW - Safety
KW - Transcranial direct current stimulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032182162&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85032182162&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.brs.2017.10.011
DO - 10.1016/j.brs.2017.10.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 29111077
AN - SCOPUS:85032182162
JO - Brain Stimulation
JF - Brain Stimulation
SN - 1935-861X
ER -