TDCS Clinical Trials 2022
Browse 69 Tdcs Medical Studies Across 49 Cities
1 Phase 3 Trial · 87 Tdcs Clinics
What Are tDCS Clinical Trials?
Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS) clinical trials focus on mapping brain function changes to determine whether tDCS has a sustainable effect on mood and physical and behavioral conditions.
Clinical trials for tDCS focus on studying the effects of changing the current flow and the impact changes have on psychological disorders.
There is an ongoing debate about the long-term effects of tDCS, with several trials showing different results. Clinical trials aim to standardize the treatment protocols for maximum benefit to eligible patients. Adjacent clinical trials are underway to determine whether tDCS can safely and effectively be used in a home environment.
What Is tDCS Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?
Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a treatment that involves using electrical currents to reset brain activity. tDCS uses either negative (cathodal) or positive (anodal) electrodes to cause long-term changes to brain activity.
At a cellular level, tDCS treatment focuses on changing neuronal firing, which stimulates the neurons in the brain.
The tDCS process involves attaching electrodes to the scalp, which the headgear keeps in place. The device, called a stimulator, is portable and attached to electrodes. The stimulator sends currents through the electrode to the brain to change cortical excitability. The treatment regulates and controls various types of behavior.
Cortical excitability is the impact of certain conditions on brain activity, and the response elicited from neuron and brain activity.
tDCS is a modification of electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) and uses fewer currents and lower voltage which aims to provide long-term benefits by modifying neuron activity.
What Are The Types of Treatments Available For tDCS?
tDCS is a low-current non-invasive treatment used under medical supervision to treat various neuropsychiatric disorders:
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Major Depressive Disorder
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Anxiety
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Speech and cognitive disorders
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Movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease
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Effects of Multiple Sclerosis
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Disabilities due to stroke
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Traumatic brain injury
Studies show that anadol and cathodal treatments have different effects. Anodal treatment increases cortical excitability and inhibition, whereas anodal treatment reduces inhibition. Depending on the desired neurophysiology reaction, either anodal or cathodal treatments are used.
The duration of tDCS treatment also varies according to desired results. Treatment may last from 5 minutes to 20 minutes.
What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For tDCS?
2020: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Therapy in Major Depression is a current clinical trial that aims to map the effect of tDCS on patients with symptoms of major depressive disorder. The trial focuses on studying the outcomes of this treatment by using innovative MRI techniques to map changes in brain function tDCS. The final results will be released in 2023.
2021: Safety and efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in rehabilitation after tetraplegia trials are underway. These trials aim to determine the effects of tDCS combined with rehabilitation in patients who sustained chronic cervical spinal cord injury. The measurement of the trial looks for improvements in upper extremity mobility.
About The Author
Michael Gill - B. Sc.
First Published: October 18th, 2021
Last Reviewed: November 25th, 2022
Michael Gill holds a Bachelors of Science in Integrated Science and Mathematics from McMaster University. During his degree he devoted considerable time modeling the pharmacodynamics of promising drug candidates. Since then, he has leveraged this knowledge of the investigational new drug ecosystem to help his father navigate clinical trials for multiple myeloma, an experience which prompted him to co-found Power Life Sciences: a company that helps patients access randomized controlled trials.