Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40095228›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of bipolar disorders2025

Effect of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive functioning in bipolar depression: an open-label, single-arm acceptability and feasibility study.

Hakimeh Rezaei, Rachel D Woodham, Ali-Reza Ghazi-Noori, Philipp Ritter, Elvira Bramon, Michael Bauer, Allan H Young, Cynthia H Y Fu

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of bipolar disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hakimeh RezaeiDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Hakimeh.rezayi@gmail.com.
Rachel D WoodhamDepartment of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Ali-Reza Ghazi-NooriDepartment of Psychology, University of East London, London, UK.
Philipp RitterDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Elvira BramonDepartment of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Michael BauerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Allan H YoungCentre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Cynthia H Y FuCentre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. cynthia.fu@kcl.ac.uk.

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
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft GRK2773/1-454245598Milken Institute Baszucki Brain Research Fund BD-0000000029NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH134236
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Bipolar depression is commonly accompanied by cognitive impairments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is emerging as a novel non-invasive treatment for bipolar depression. Given the portability and safety of tDCS, we developed a home-based protocol with real-time supervision. Our aim was to assess the cognitive effects of a course of tDCS treatment in bipolar depression. 44 participants (31 women, mean age 47.27 years, SD 12.89) with bipolar depression of at least a moderate severity received 21 sessions of home-based tDCS over 6 weeks in an open-label design. The stimulation protocol involved 2 mA in a bilateral frontal montage (F3 anode, F4 cathode) for 30 min per session. Cognitive assessments were conducted at baseline and after the course of treatment: Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) to assess verbal learning and memory and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) to assess psychomotor processing speed and visuospatial attention. 93.18% (n = 41) completed RAVLT and 59.09% of participants (n = 26) completed SDMT. A significant improvement was observed in RAVLT verbal learning score post-treatment (p = 0.002), which was not maintained following adjustment for improvement in depressive symptoms. In summary, a course of home-based tDCS in bipolar depression was associated with an improvement in verbal learning, which appeared to be related to improvement in depressive symptoms. These findings suggest potential benefits of tDCS for addressing cognitive impairments in bipolar depression, which can be investigated further in a sham-controlled design.

Indexed as

Bipolar depressionCognitive impairmentHome-based treatmentNeuropsychological testsRAVLTSDMTTranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID40095228
PMCPMC11914700

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.