Efficacy and Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation as an Add-on Treatment for Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

More effective, tolerable interventions for bipolar depression treatment are needed. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a novel therapeutic modality with few severe adverse events that showed promising results for unipolar depression.

Objective

To determine the efficacy and safety of tDCS as an add-on treatment for bipolar depression.

Design, setting, and participants

A randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind trial (the Bipolar Depression Electrical Treatment Trial [BETTER]) was conducted from July 1, 2014, to March 30, 2016, at an outpatient, single-center academic setting. Participants included 59 adults with type I or II bipolar disorder in a major depressive episode and receiving a stable pharmacologic regimen with 17-item Hamilton Depr

SUBMITTER: Sampaio-Junior B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5838572 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature