Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24914953›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2014

Modulation of cortical activity by transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with affective disorder.

Tamara Y Powell, Tjeerd W Boonstra, Donel M Martin, Colleen K Loo, Michael Breakspear

Abstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. [Research on the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation regulation of different targets on working memory based on electroencephalography].Sheng wu yi xue gong cheng xue za zhi = Journal of biomedical engineering = Shengwu yixue gongchengxue zazhi · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tamara Y PowellSchool of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.
Tjeerd W BoonstraSchool of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia; MOVE Research Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Donel M MartinSchool of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia.
Colleen K LooSchool of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia; St George Hospital, Kogarah, Australia.
Michael BreakspearSchool of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia; Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.

Funding

Arthritis Research UK TS0669860Medical Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to have antidepressant efficacy in patients experiencing a major depressive episode, but little is known about the underlying neurophysiology. The purpose of our study was to investigate the acute effects of tDCS on cortical activity using electroencephalography (EEG) in patients with an affective disorder. Eighteen patients diagnosed with an affective disorder and experiencing a depressive episode participated in a sham-controlled study of tDCS, each receiving a session of active (2 mA for 20 minutes) and sham tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The effects of tDCS on EEG activity were assessed after each session using event-related potentials (ERP) and measurement of spectral activity during a visual working memory (VWM) task. We observed task and intervention dependent effects on both ERPs and task-related alpha and theta activity, where active compared to sham stimulation resulted in a significant reduction in the N2 amplitude and reduced theta activity over frontal areas during memory retrieval. In summary a single session of anodal tDCS stimulation to the left DLPFC during a major depressive episode resulted in modulated brain activity evident in task-related EEG. Effects on the N2 and frontal theta activity likely reflect modulated activity in the medial frontal cortex and hence indicate that the after-effects of tDCS extend beyond the direct focal effects to the left DLPFC.

Indexed as

Transcranial Direct Current StimulationAdultCerebral CortexElectroencephalographyEvoked PotentialsFemaleHumansMaleMemory, Short-TermMiddle AgedMood DisordersTreatment OutcomeVisual Perception

Identifiers

PMID24914953
PMCPMC4051608

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.