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Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial.

Publication ,  Journal Article
McClintock, SM; Martin, DM; Lisanby, SH; Alonzo, A; McDonald, WM; Aaronson, ST; Husain, MM; O'Reardon, JP; Weickert, CS; Mohan, A; Loo, CK
Published in: Depress Anxiety
March 2020

OBJECTIVE: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been found to have antidepressant effects and may have beneficial neurocognitive effects. However, prior research has produced an unclear understanding of the neurocognitive effects of repeated exposure to tDCS. The study's aim was to determine the neurocognitive effects following tDCS treatment in participants with unipolar or bipolar depression. METHOD: The study was a triple-masked, randomized, controlled clinical trial across six international academic medical centers. Participants were randomized to high dose (2.5 mA for 30 min) or low dose (0.034 mA, for 30 min) tDCS for 20 sessions over 4 weeks, followed by an optional 4 weeks of open-label high dose treatment. The tDCS anode was centered over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at F3 (10/20 EEG system) and the cathode over F8. Participants completed clinical and neurocognitive assessments before and after tDCS. Genotype (BDNF Val66Met and catechol-o-methyltransferase [COMT] Val158Met polymorphisms) were explored as potential moderators of neurocognitive effects. RESULTS: The study randomized 130 participants. Across the participants, tDCS treatment (high and low dose) resulted in improvements in verbal learning and recall, selective attention, information processing speed, and working memory, which were independent of mood effects. Similar improvements were observed in the subsample of participants with bipolar disorder. There was no observed significant effect of tDCS dose. However, BDNF Val66Met and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms interacted with tDCS dose and affected verbal memory and verbal fluency outcomes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that tDCS could have positive neurocognitive effects in unipolar and bipolar depression. Thus, tDCS stimulation parameters may interact with interindividual differences in BDNF and COMT polymorphisms to affect neurocognitive outcomes, which warrants further investigation.

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Published In

Depress Anxiety

DOI

EISSN

1520-6394

Publication Date

March 2020

Volume

37

Issue

3

Start / End Page

261 / 272

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
  • Psychiatry
  • Prefrontal Cortex
  • Humans
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Depressive Disorder, Major
  • Catechol O-Methyltransferase
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
 

Citation

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McClintock, S. M., Martin, D. M., Lisanby, S. H., Alonzo, A., McDonald, W. M., Aaronson, S. T., … Loo, C. K. (2020). Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial. Depress Anxiety, 37(3), 261–272. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22988
McClintock, Shawn M., Donel M. Martin, Sarah H. Lisanby, Angelo Alonzo, William M. McDonald, Scott T. Aaronson, Mustafa M. Husain, et al. “Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial.Depress Anxiety 37, no. 3 (March 2020): 261–72. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22988.
McClintock SM, Martin DM, Lisanby SH, Alonzo A, McDonald WM, Aaronson ST, et al. Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Mar;37(3):261–72.
McClintock, Shawn M., et al. “Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial.Depress Anxiety, vol. 37, no. 3, Mar. 2020, pp. 261–72. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/da.22988.
McClintock SM, Martin DM, Lisanby SH, Alonzo A, McDonald WM, Aaronson ST, Husain MM, O’Reardon JP, Weickert CS, Mohan A, Loo CK. Neurocognitive effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in unipolar and bipolar depression: Findings from an international randomized controlled trial. Depress Anxiety. 2020 Mar;37(3):261–272.
Journal cover image

Published In

Depress Anxiety

DOI

EISSN

1520-6394

Publication Date

March 2020

Volume

37

Issue

3

Start / End Page

261 / 272

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
  • Psychiatry
  • Prefrontal Cortex
  • Humans
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Depressive Disorder, Major
  • Catechol O-Methyltransferase
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology