This pilot study aims to investigate the potential role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD). tDCS is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique which has been utilized for the treatment of major depression in several studies, both as a primary and adjunctive treatment. The treatment will be administered under the supervision of a physician with experience in administering the treatment and monitoring for complications. This will be a prospective "adaptive tDCS stimulation" open label research study. Participants will receive 20 minute sessions of up to 4 milliamps (mA) transcutaneous electrical stimulation sessions over 4 to 6 weeks. Building on the theory that greater current "dose" may be a significant factor in determining efficacy, this study aims to determine whether higher tDCS current doses lead to greater improvements in depressive symptoms in this population of patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
5
Transcranial direct current stimulation with placement of the anode over the F3 region of the scalp and the cathode over the right supraorbital region.
Washington University in Saint Louis
St Louis, Missouri, United States
Improvement in depressive symptoms as measured by mean change in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from baseline to end of the study.
Time frame: Measurements at week 0, week 2, week 4, week 5 and week 6
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