RESIDENT: Electrifying Hope: The Role of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression (UofA)

Presenting Author(s): Dr. Rawel Sidhu

Co-Author(s): Dr. Serdar Dursun; Dr. Michael Demas

Date and time: 22 Mar 2025 from 13:25 to 13:40

Location: Hawthorn C  

Abstract

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) presents a formidable challenge to psychiatry. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a promising neuromodulation technique that delivers lowintensity electrical currents to target mood-regulating brain circuits. This presentation examines the existing evidence on the efficacy and safety of tDCS for TRD, highlighting insights from the existing body of literature encompassing randomized controlled trials, open-label studies, and retrospective analyses.

While findings indicate variability in efficacy, studies suggest that tDCS may be particularly beneficial when integrated with adjunctive therapies. Key advantages include its non-invasive nature, favorable tolerability, and potential for home-based administration. Studies also demonstrated tDCS to be an especially safe intervention, with primarily mild and transient side-effects from treatment.

However, heterogeneity in study designs, electrode placement, stimulation parameters, and patient populations complicates direct comparisons and limits generalizability. The role of tDCS in augmenting standard antidepressant treatments and identifying patient subtypes most likely to benefit requires further exploration.

This presentation calls for large-scale, standardized trials to refine stimulation protocols and establish tDCS as a viable tool in managing TRD. By shedding light on this innovative treatment, we aim to inspire clinicians and researchers to integrate neuromodulation into personalized psychiatric care.

Learning Objectives

1. Introduce transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and its role in modulating neural circuits implicated in depression;

2. Evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of tDCS as an intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) based on current evidence; and

3. Identify gaps in the research and discuss future directions for optimizing tDCS protocols and integration into psychiatric care.

Literature References

1. Razza, L.B., Palumbo, P., Moffa, A. H., Carvalho, A. F., Solmi, M., Loo, C. K., & Brunoni, A. R. (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in depressive episodes. Depress Anxiety, Jul;37(7):594-608. doi: 10.1002/da.23004.