Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26842422›Full record

ReviewEuropean archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience2016

tDCS for the treatment of depression: a comprehensive review.

Ulrich Palm, Alkomiet Hasan, Wolfgang Strube, Frank Padberg

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 86 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
86citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
10.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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.

NCT04336267 nacompletednot on this map

Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Chronic Migraine With and Medication Overuse Headache: a Pilot Randomized Sham-controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorIRCCS National Neurological Institute "C. Mondino" FoundationRan2015 to 2018Enrolled20ConditionsChronic Migraine, Medication Overuse HeadacheArmsTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) group, Sham group
NCT07116980 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Biological and Psychological Markers After Trancranial Electrical Stimulation in Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

TypeinterventionalSponsorHospital de Clinicas de Porto AlegreRan2023 to 2024Enrolled36ConditionsAnxietyArms'Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - tDCS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

86 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 200 citations in OpenAlex.

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  5. Effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on conscious disorder in patients after brain injury: a network meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2023
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26 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ulrich PalmDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany. ulrich.palm@med.uni-muenchen.de.
Alkomiet HasanDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Wolfgang StrubeDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Frank PadbergDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany.
LMU Klinikum · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been investigated for the treatment of major depressive disorders in recent years. Here, we review the implications of current research for the clinical use of tDCS in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Meta-analyses, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials, open-label trials, case reports and review articles were identified through a systematic search of the literature database of the National Institutes of Health (USA). Available articles were evaluated with regard to their clinical relevance. Results of tDCS efficacy are inconsistent due to the small sample sizes, the heterogeneous patient samples and the partially high treatment resistance in some studies. Overall, tDCS has very low side effects. Meta-analyses suggest some efficacy of tDCS in the treatment of acute depressive disorder with moderate effect size, and low efficacy in treatment-resistant depression. A general statement about the efficacy of tDCS as a therapeutic tool in major depression seems to be premature. tDCS is considered as a safe therapeutic option and is associated with only minor side effects. The effectiveness of tDCS decreases with resistance to treatment. Psychotropic drugs may attenuate or amplify its effects. The use of 2 mA current strength over 20 min per day over a short time span can be considered as safe.

Indexed as

DepressionHumansTranscranial Direct Current StimulationMajor depressive disorderNoninvasive brain stimulationtDCSTreatment resistance

Identifiers

PMID26842422
OpenAlexW2268680774

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.