Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39433921›Full record

Trial reportNature medicine2025

Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation treatment for major depressive disorder: a fully remote phase 2 randomized sham-controlled trial.

Rachel D Woodham, Sudhakar Selvaraj, Nahed Lajmi, Harriet Hobday, Gabrielle Sheehan, Ali-Reza Ghazi-Noori, Peter J Lagerberg, Maheen Rizvi, Sarah S Kwon, Paulette Orhii and 6 more

3 registry-linked trialsAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialClinical Trial, Phase IIMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nature medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 67 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
67citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT05202119 nacompletednot on this map

Empower: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder: a Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized, Superiority Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorFlow Neuroscience ABRan2022 to 2023Enrolled174ConditionsMajor Depressive DisorderArmsTranscranial direct current stimulation, Sham Transcranial direct current stimulation
NCT07217223 narecruitingnot on this map

Spaced Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Home-Based Feasibility and Safety Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, San DiegoRan2025 to 2027Enrolled10ConditionsTreatment Resistant Depression (TRD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)ArmsSpaced Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
NCT07556692 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Bipolar Depression: a Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorKing's College LondonRan2026 to 2027Enrolled212ConditionsBipolar Disorder (BD)ArmsFlow FL-100 tDCS headset
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

67 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  10. Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for bipolar depression: effects on quality of life and functioning-an open-label study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
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7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Rachel D WoodhamSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5581-9449
Sudhakar SelvarajCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Nahed LajmiSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Harriet HobdaySchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Gabrielle SheehanSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Ali-Reza Ghazi-NooriSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Peter J LagerbergSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Maheen RizviCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Sarah S KwonCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3191-0563
Paulette OrhiiCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
David MaislinBiomedical Statistical Consulting, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Lucia HernandezBiomedical Statistical Consulting, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Rodrigo Machado-VieiraCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Jair C SoaresCenter of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Allan H YoungCentre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Cynthia H Y FuSchool of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK. cynthia.fu@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-4313-3500

Funding

Disentangling the anatomical, functional and clinical heterogeneity of major depression, using machine learning methodsR01MH134236 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI DAVATZIKOS, CHRISTOS, FU, CYNTHIA · 2023 to 2024
$1.5M
Neurodegenerative Changes in Post-Stroke DepressionR21MH129888 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI MACHADO VIEIRA, RODRIGO, SAVITZ, SEAN I · 2022 to 2023
$449k
TMS-EEG investigation of prefrontal cortical excitability in depression and rTMS treatment responseR21MH119441 · NIMH · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI MURPHY, NICHOLAS, SELVARAJ, SUDHAKAR · 2020 to 2021
$435k
Brain exosome biomarker targets to optimize pharmacologic treatment of depression in pregnancyR21HD106779 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI GOETZL, LAURA, MACHADO VIEIRA, RODRIGO · 2022 to 2023
$429k
NICHD NIH HHS R21 HD106779NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH134236NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH119441NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH129888Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a new treatment in major depressive disorder (MDD). This is a fully remote, multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized superiority trial of 10-week home-based tDCS in MDD. Participants were 18 years or older, with MDD in current depressive episode of at least moderate severity as measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (mean = 19.07 ± 2.73). A total of 174 participants (120 women, 54 men) were randomized to active (n = 87, mean age = 37.09 ± 11.14 years) or sham (n = 87, mean age = 38.32 ± 10.92 years) treatment. tDCS consisted of five sessions per week for 3 weeks then three sessions per week for 7 weeks in a 10-week trial, followed by a 10-week open-label phase. Each session lasted 30 min; the anode was placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (active tDCS 2 mA and sham tDCS 0 mA, with brief ramp up and down to mimic active stimulation). As the primary outcome, depressive symptoms showed significant improvement when measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: active 9.41 ± 6.25 point improvement (10-week mean = 9.58 ± 6.02) and sham 7.14 ± 6.10 point improvement (10-week mean = 11.66 ± 5.96) (95% confidence interval = 0.51-4.01, P = 0.012). There were no differences in discontinuation rates. In summary, a 10-week home-based tDCS treatment with remote supervision in MDD showed high efficacy, acceptability and safety. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT05202119.

Indexed as

Major Depressive DisorderTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID39433921
PMCPMC11750699

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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 Socratic graph.