Research with Sooma DUO: a platform built for rigorous science
Sooma DUO is made for tDCS clinical research as well as clinical care. The system supports double-blind, sham-controlled (placebo) designs, flexible stimulation parameters, and remote monitoring with structured data capture, so research teams can run controlled trials in the clinic or at home.
Many clinical studies across a wide range of research questions trust Sooma devices, and the platform is designed to make controlled, reproducible protocols straightforward to run.
Precise Stimulation Parameters for tDCS Clinical Research
Sooma DUO gives investigators precise, programmable control over stimulation, with the consistency that controlled trials require.
Parameter
Specification
Direct current output (tDCS)
0 to 6 mA
Alternating current output (tACS)
Up to ± 2 mA AC (4mA peak to peak) Frequency range 0 to 250 Hz
Dose control
Programmable session parameters with dose delivery reporting
Contact quality
Continuous automatic resistance monitoring and voltage adjustment during stimulation
Electrode placement
Easy to use head cap with pre-set positions for reproducible montages, also custom placements available
Blinding
Double-blind (Patient and researcher) sham-stimulation
Double-blind, sham-controlled designs in tDCS Clinical Research
Sooma DUO supports active and sham (placebo) stimulation. Sham mode reproduces the brief ramp-up and ramp-down sensations of active stimulation without delivering the therapeutic dose, so neither the participant nor the person running the session can easily tell the two apart. This makes the device well suited to double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the gold standard for clinical evidence.
The double-blind features of Sooma DUO have been evaluated by the FDA to be robust and acceptable for large-scale pivotal at-home trials.
Run trials remotely and at home
The same connected tools that support clinical care also support research at a distance. Studies can extend beyond the clinic while keeping tight control of protocol adherence and data quality.
Guided participant sessions. The Sooma App walks participants through each session and connects to the device, reducing variability in self-administered protocols.
Adherence and dose tracking. Every session is logged, with completed and missed sessions and accurate dose delivery recorded per participant.
Structured outcome capture. Validated questionnaires such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 can be collected on schedule through the app.
Sooma has a long track record here. In 2016, a Sooma device was used in one of the first double-blind, sham-controlled at-home tDCS studies (Hyvärinen et al. 2016, PLOS One).
Built for home use, chosen for research.
Since 2016, independent research teams have used Sooma tDCS in clinics and at home, across depression, chronic pain, and other conditions. Here are some of their findings.
Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a double blinded, randomized, low-intensity sham-controlled crossover trial
Muthulingam et al., 2026. Neuropsychiatric Investigation
No significant differences in pain scores were observed after four weeks of active tDCS compared with sham in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Low-intensity sham tDCS (0.3 mA) significantly reduced both average and maximum pain during treatment, whereas active tDCS (2 mA) significantly reduced pain from baseline.
Treatments were self-administered at home using Sooma tDCS and consisted of 20-minute sessions.
The anodal electrode was placed over the left M1 and the cathodal electrode over the contralateral supraorbital area.
Responders to active tDCS showed increased temporal summation and lower pressure pain thresholds.
Transcranial direct current stimulation as an adjuvant therapy for major depressive disorder
Moya-Sánchez et al., 2025. Neuropsychiatric Investigation
Depressive symptoms significantly improved in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder after receiving tDCS treatment combined with antidepressant therapy.
Treatments were administered using Sooma tDCS, with 30-minute sessions delivered twice daily, five times a week, for two weeks.
A 2 mA stimulus was applied with the anode placed at F3 and the cathode at F4.
The study found tDCS to be an effective and tolerable treatment option, especially for patients with comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions.
Home ‑administered tDCS for major depressive disorder: exploring the predictive value of EEG biomarkers
Teixeria et al., 2025. Portuguese Journal of Psychiatry and Mental Health
Home-administered tDCS was effective for treating major depression, with 63% of patients responding to treatment.
Thirty-five patients diagnosed with MDD underwent a four-week treatment with Sooma tDCS.
There were notable changes in frontal alpha asymmetry that strongly correlated with symptom reduction.
Pre-treatment frontal alpha asymmetry was a significant predictor of treatment response, supporting its use as a biomarker for personalized tDCS therapy.
Home-administered tDCS was found to be feasible and effective for treating depression.
A four-month home-based tDCS study on patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Grønli et al., 2022. Neurocase
Daily home-based tDCS for 4 months was feasible for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients and their spouses could manage the treatment themselves.
Treatment was administered using a Sooma home kit, delivering 2 mA through two scalp electrodes for 30 minutes a day.
The anode was placed over the left temporal lobe (T7) and the cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F4).
tDCS was well tolerated, and no troublesome side effects were reported.
There was no significant effect on cognitive function after 4 months in this small open-label study of 8 participants.
Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the occipital cortex in episodic migraine: a randomized sham-controlled crossover study
Ahdab et al., 2020. Journal of Clinical Medicine
The number of headache days, average daily pill consumption, and pain intensity all decreased after 3 consecutive days of tDCS in patients with episodic migraine.
Forty-two patients received either 3 days of daily cathodal tDCS over the occipital cortex (O1/O2) or sham tDCS.
2 mA cathodal tDCS was delivered for 20 minutes per session using the Sooma tDCS device.
The beneficial effects lasted for over two weeks.
tDCS treatment was found to be effective, safe, and well tolerated.
Non-invasive therapeutic brain stimulation for treatment of resistant focal epilepsy in a teenager
Muñoz-Ruiz et al., 2020. Clinical Neurophysiology Practice
rTMS followed by tDCS resolved the persistent tinnitus and sensory symptoms in a 13-year old patient with symptomatic focal epilepsy due to a right parietal dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor that was partially removed.
The patient was initially successfully treated with low-frequency rTMS, and maintenance treatment continued at home with Sooma tDCS.
The tDCS treatments were 20 minutes per session, once a week, with a 2 mA stimulus.
Electrodes were placed with the anode on the left forehead and the cathode at the right temporo-parietal region.
tDCS was considered safe and effective to maintain treatment response after rTMS in adolescents.
If you are planning a study with tDCS or tACS, our team can advise on device configuration, study app setup, and data capture for controlled designs. Sooma DUO is a CE-marked and MDR-approved Class IIa medical device manufactured in Finland under ISO 13485.
Many ethical committees have approved studies with Sooma DUO also after European MDR implementing regulations came into force enforcing control of devices used in research.
