Reduction of symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder after transcranial direct current stimulation treatment: A real-world study

Abstract

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to be an effective treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to characterize the real-life effectiveness and tolerability of tDCS and to identify predictors of treatment outcome in patients with MDD. Methods: A total of 462 patients with depressive symptoms, who were treated with tDCS as a part of routine clinical practice, were enrolled in the study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using validated depression scales before and after the tDCS treatment in 410 patients who completed the treatment and for whom all the necessary treatment information was available. Results: Complete clinical response (CCR) was achieved by 54.9% (n = 225), remission by 19.5% (n = 80), and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) by 94.6% (n = 388) of the study patients after the tDCS treatment completion. At least half of the patients achieved CCR in all severity classes and in patients with and without concomitant use of psychotropics. No serious adverse effects were reported during the treatment. Limitations: As a non-interventional study based on retrospective data collection from routine clinical practice, the study did not include a control group. Medical history data was available from the tDCS treatment initiation. Conclusions: This real-world study showed good tolerability and a reduction of depressive symptoms in patients with MDD after tDCS treatment. The results suggest that tDCS is a well-suited treatment alternative for MDD, either as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with antidepressant medication.

Keywords

• tDCS
• Depression
• Real-world study