Evaluating the effects of tDCS on depressive and anxiety symptoms from a transdiagnostic perspective: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Esther Zhiwei Zheng et. al, 2024. Translational Psychiatry.
- This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the existing evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of tDCS in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among individuals with diverse clinical diagnoses.
- This review evaluated evidence from fifty-six randomized, sham-controlled trials that administered repeated tDCS sessions with a parallel design, applying a three-level meta-analytic model.
- tDCS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at 2-mA intensity demonstrates moderate efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms, identifying the left DLPFC as a transdiagnostic neural mechanism of depressive symptoms across clinical conditions.
- tDCS over the left DLPFC is effective in reducing depressive symptoms and shows promising effects in alleviating anxiety symptoms among individuals with diverse diagnoses.
- These findings enhance our understanding of the neuropsychological basis of depressive and anxiety symptoms, laying the groundwork for the development of more effective tDCS interventions applicable across clinical conditions.