Effects of adjunctive bifrontal tDCS on depressive symptoms and cognitive performance in major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover pilot study.
Psychiatry ResAug 20, 2026 (epub)
Clinical ResearchPsychiatry
Rukiye Tekdemir, Fatih Ekici, Hacer Söylemez et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover pilot study evaluated the effects of bifrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on depressive symptoms and cognitive performance in 38 medicated outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The study found that active tDCS resulted in significantly lower HAMD-17 scores compared to sham stimulation, with a mean difference of -3.63.
Key findings
- Active tDCS led to a mean HAMD-17 score reduction of -3.63 compared to sham stimulation.
- No significant effect of tDCS on cognitive performance as measured by DSST (p = 0.261).
- CGI-Improvement ratings were strongly sequence-dependent (p < 0.001).
- Adverse effects from tDCS were mild and transient.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that bifrontal tDCS may provide a beneficial effect on depressive symptoms in patients with MDD who have not responded adequately to antidepressants, although the results are influenced by treatment sequence.