SynthesisScientific reports2025
Efficacy and safety of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on patients with depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Remotely Supervised, Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Major Depressive Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with cognitive-behavioral interventions for depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of sham-controlled randomized trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation for post-stroke depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- A prospective, open-label feasibility study protocol of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation for major depressive disorder in elective lumbar spine surgery candidates.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- Home use of low-intensity transcranial electrical stimulation in clinical practice: an IFCN handbook chapter.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Depressive disorders, including major depressive disorder, impair functioning and affect 280 million people globally. Traditional treatments are not fully effective. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) offers a noninvasive alternative. Home-based tDCS shows promise for treating depression, requiring systematic review to assess its reliability and efficacy. Six digital databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, PsycINFO, and CINAHL Complete) were searched for English-language records from inception to November 2024. Inclusion criteria involved randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of home-based tDCS on patients with depressive disorders. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. From an initial 507 studies, five RCTs with 415 depressed patients were included. Four studies analyzed Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores in 269 patients, revealing that active tDCS significantly reduced depression scores compared to sham (weighted mean difference [WMD]: - 2.74 [-4.19, - 1.29], I² = 0.00%). Similarly, four studies involving 438 patients assessed Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores, showing that active tDCS led to greater reductions in depression scores than sham (WMD: - 2.24 [-4.16, - 1.49], I² = 46.63%). In addition, two studies with 211 participants assessed Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) scores, indicating that active home-based tDCS significantly reduced anxiety symptoms compared to sham (WMD: - 1.97 [-3.37, - 0.58], I² = 0.00%). Reported adverse effects of home-based tDCS included skin lesions, pain, burning sensations, increased sensitivity, redness, and mild headaches. This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that home-based tDCS effectively reduces depression and anxiety scores, with significant improvements on MADRS, HAM-D, and HAM-A scales. Future research should include larger samples, better adherence, and long-term efficacy assessments.
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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.