AI Chat Paper
Note: Please note that the following content is generated by AMiner AI. SciOpen does not take any responsibility related to this content.
{{lang === 'zh_CN' ? '文章概述' : 'Summary'}}
{{lang === 'en_US' ? '中' : 'Eng'}}
Chat more with AI
Article Link
Collect
Submit Manuscript
Show Outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Outline
Show full outline
Hide outline
Practice Guidelines | Open Access

Comparison of the efficacy of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression

Qi Lua,bJuan HuiaHaiyue Daia,cRan HaobYuesen HoubDi WangaYongfeng Yanga,cJuan LiaJinggui Songa,c( )Zhaohui Zhangb( )
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University (Henan Mental Hospital), Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Prevention and Treatment of Mental Disorder, Xinxiang 453002, Henan, China
The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan Key Laboratory of Neurorestoratology, Weihui 453100, Henan, China
Henan Engineering Research Center of Physical Diagnostics and Treatment Technology for Mental and Neurological Diseases, Xinxiang 453002, Henan, China
Show Author Information

Abstract

Background

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) demonstrate significant potential for improving depressive symptoms and cognitive function; however, their effectiveness varies greatly among individuals. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy enables real-time monitoring of brain function during cognitive tasks in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Methods

A 4-week longitudinal study was conducted involving 61 patients with depression and 26 healthy controls. Patients were randomly assigned to HD-tDCS, rTMS, and antidepressant (AD) groups. Changes in depressive symptoms, adverse event rates, and prefrontal cortical oxyhemoglobin concentrations were assessed.

Result

At week 4, remission rates were 62.5% (15), 61.9% (13), and 62.5% (10) in the HD-tDCS, rTMS, and AD groups, respectively (x2 = 0.002, p = 1.000). Response rates were 66.7% (16), 71.4% (15), and 68.8% (11), respectively, with no significant difference between groups (x2 = 0.12, p = 0.941). All groups demonstrated significant improvement in depressive symptoms and cognitive function. The rTMS group exhibited a significantly greater decrease in Hamilton Depression Scale score compared with the HD-tDCS and AD groups. After 2 weeks of treatment, patients exhibited improved depressive symptoms and reduced activation during the verbal fluency task. However, these changes were not significantly correlated (r = −0.159 to 0.240, p = 0.121–0.988).

Limitations

All patients had concomitant use of ADs, which may impact near-infrared spectroscopy signaling and have an indeterminate effect on cognition.

Conclusion

HD-tDCS, rTMS, and ADs were equally effective, safe, and well-tolerated. HD-tDCS and rTMS were more effective for working memory, attention, executive functioning, and mood regulation.

References

1

Huang YQ, Wang Y, Wang H, et al. Prevalence of mental disorders in China: a cross-sectional epidemiological study. Lancet Psychiatr. 2019;6(3):211-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30511-X.

2

Parlikar R, Sreeraj VS, Shivakumar V, et al. High definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS): a systematic review on the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Asian J Psychiatr. 2021;56:102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102542.

3

Tikka SK, Aleem Siddiqui M, Garg S, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in neuropsychiatric disorders. Indian J Psychiatr. 2023;65(2):270–288. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_492_22.

4

Brunoni AR, Moffa AH, Sampaio-Junior B, et al. Trial of electrical direct-current therapy versus escitalopram for depression. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(26):2523–2533. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1612999.

5

Loo CK, Alonzo A, Martin D, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation for depression: 3-week, randomised, sham-controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2012;200(1):52–59. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.111.097634.

6

Moreno ML, Goerigk SA, Bertola L, et al. Cognitive changes after tDCS and escitalopram treatment in major depressive disorder: results from the placebo-controlled ELECT-TDCS trial. J Affect Disord. 2020;263:344–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.12.009.

7

Tang R, Song H, Kong Z, et al. Chinese experts' consensus on clinical application of transcranial direct current stimulation in the treatment of common neurological diseases and mental disorders. Chin J Psychiatry. 2022;55(5):327–382.

8

O'Reardon JP, Solvason HB, Janicak PG, et al. Reply regarding “efficacy and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the acute treatment of major depression: a multisite randomized controlled trial”. Biol Psychiatr. 2010;67(2):e15–e17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.06.027.

9

Fitzgerald PB. Targeting repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in depression: do we really know what we are stimulating and how best to do it? Brain Stimul. 2021;14(3):730–736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2021.04.018.

10

Huang JX, Zhang JQ, Zhang TY, et al. Increased prefrontal activation during verbal fluency task after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment in depression: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study. Front Psychiatr. 2022;13:876136. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.876136.

11

Si TSL, Dang W, Se Y, et al. Evaluation of the reliability and validity of Chinese version of the Mini·International neuropsychiatric Interview in patients with mental disorders. Chin Ment Health J 2009;23(7):6.

12

Zhang D, Li G, Wang Z, et al. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation combined with antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder with anxious distress: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Chin J Psychiatry. 2022;55(3):196–203.

13

Cash RFH, Weigand A, Zalesky A, et al. Using brain imaging to improve spatial targeting of transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression. Biol Psychiatr. 2021;90(10):689–700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.05.033.

14

Siddiqi SH, Taylor SF, Cooke D, et al. Distinct symptom-specific treatment targets for circuit-based neuromodulation. Am J Psychiatr. 2020;177(5):435–446. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19090915.

15

Cardenas VA, Bhat JV, Horwege AM, et al. Anatomical and fMRI-network comparison of multiple DLPFC targeting strategies for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of depression. Brain Stimul. 2022;15(1):63–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2021.11.008.

16

Goetz SM, Cassie Kozyrkov I, Luber B, et al. Accuracy of robotic coil positioning during transcranial magnetic stimulation. J Neural Eng. 2019;16(5):054003. https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab2953.

17

Zorn L, Renaud P, Bayle B, et al. Design and evaluation of a robotic system for transcranial magnetic stimulation. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2012;59(3):805–815. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2011.2179938.

18

Harquel S, Diard J, Raffin E, et al. Automatized set-up procedure for transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols. Neuroimage. 2017;153:307–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.001.

19

Caulfield KA, Fleischmann HH, George MS, et al. A transdiagnostic review of safety, efficacy, and parameter space in accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation. J Psychiatr Res. 2022;152:384–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.06.038.

20

Yu T, Chen WN, Huo LJ, et al. Association between daily dose and efficacy of rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depression: a meta-analysis. Psychiatr Res. 2023;325:115260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115260.

21

Westin GG, Bassi BD, Lisanby SH, et al. Determination of motor threshold using visual observation overestimates transcranial magnetic stimulation dosage: safety implications. Clin Neurophysiol. 2014;125(1):142–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2013.06.187.

22

Wassermann EM. Risk and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: report and suggested guidelines from the international workshop on the safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, June 5–7, 1996. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1998;108(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/s168-5597(97)00096-8.

23

Akiyama T, Koeda M, Okubo Y, et al. Hypofunction of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depression during verbal fluency task: a multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Affect Disord. 2018;231:83–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.01.010.

24

Strangman G, Culver JP, Thompson JH, et al. A quantitative comparison of simultaneous BOLD fMRI and NIRS recordings during functional brain activation. Neuroimage. 2002;17(2):719–731.

25

Cui X, Bray S, Bryant DM, et al. A quantitative comparison of NIRS and fMRI across multiple cognitive tasks. Neuroimage. 2011;54(4):2808–2821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.069.

26

Huppert TJ, Hoge RD, Diamond SG, et al. A temporal comparison of BOLD, ASL, and NIRS hemodynamic responses to motor stimuli in adult humans. Neuroimage. 2006;29(2):368–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.08.065.

27

Sato H, Yahata N, Funane T, et al. A NIRS-fMRI investigation of prefrontal cortex activity during a working memory task. Neuroimage. 2013;83:158–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.043.

28

Jang KE, Tak S, Jung J, et al. Wavelet minimum description length detrending for near-infrared spectroscopy. J Biomed Opt. 2009;14(3):034004. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3127204.

29

Blumberger DM, Vila-Rodriguez F, Thorpe KE, et al. Effectiveness of Theta burst versus high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with depression (THREE-D): a randomised non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2018;391(10131):1683–1692. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30295-2.

30

Burkhardt G, Kumpf U, Crispin A, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation as an additional treatment to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in adults with major depressive disorder in Germany (DepressionDC): a triple-blind, randomised, sham-controlled, multicentre trial. Lancet. 2023;402(10401):545–554. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00640-2.

31

Fitzgerald PB, Hoy KE, Anderson RJ, et al. A study of the pattern of response to rTMS treatment in depression. Depress Anxiety. 2016;33(8):746–753. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22503.

32

Ferrier IN. Treatment of major depression: is improvement enough? J Clin Psychiatry. 1999;60(suppl 6):10–14.

33

Ramaker MJ, Dulawa SC. Identifying fast-onset antidepressants using rodent models. Mol Psychiatr. 2017;22(5):656–665. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2017.36.

34

Kuo HI, Paulus W, Batsikadze G, et al. Chronic enhancement of serotonin facilitates excitatory transcranial direct current stimulation-induced neuroplasticity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016;41(5):1223–1230. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2015.270.

35

Borckardt JJ, Bikson M, Frohman H, et al. A pilot study of the tolerability and effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on pain perception. J Pain. 2012;13(2):112–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2011.07.001.

36

Wong HL, Chan WC, Wong YL, et al. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation-An open-label pilot intervention in alleviating depressive symptoms and cognitive deficits in late-life depression. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2019;25(11):1244–1253. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.13253.

37

Huang YZ, Rothwell JC. The effect of short-duration bursts of high-frequency, low-intensity transcranial magnetic stimulation on the human motor cortex. Clin Neurophysiol. 2004;115(5):1069–1075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2003.12.026.

38

Tang NL, Sun CZ, Wang YT, et al. Clinical response of major depressive disorder patients with suicidal ideation to individual target-transcranial magnetic stimulation. Front Psychiatr. 2021;12:768819. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.768819.

39

Cole EJ, Stimpson KH, Bentzley BS, et al. Stanford accelerated intelligent neuromodulation therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Am J Psychiatr. 2020;177(8):716–726. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19070720.

40

Modirrousta M, Meek BP, Wikstrom SL. Efficacy of twice-daily vs once-daily sessions of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a retrospective study. Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2018;14:309–316. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S151841.

41

Perera T, George MS, Grammer G, et al. The clinical TMS society consensus review and treatment recommendations for TMS therapy for major depressive disorder. Brain Stimul. 2016;9(3):336–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2016.03.010.

42

Barnes R, Skvarc D, Fitzgerald PB, et al. Equal remission rates and reduced length of hospital stay with twice-daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for major depression - a large naturalistic retrospective cohort association study. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2023;127:110820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110820.

43

Brini S, Brudasca NI, Hodkinson A, et al. Efficacy and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating major depressive disorder: an umbrella review and re-analysis of published meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. Clin Psychol Rev. 2023;100:102236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102236.

44

Mutz J, Vipulananthan V, Carter B, et al. Comparative efficacy and acceptability of non-surgical brain stimulation for the acute treatment of major depressive episodes in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2019;364:l1079. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1079.

45

Goerigk SA, Padberg F, Bühner M, et al. Distinct trajectories of response to prefrontal tDCS in major depression: results from a 3-arm randomized controlled trial. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021;46(4):774–782. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-020-00935-x.

46

Razza LB, Palumbo P, Moffa AH, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in depressive episodes. Depress Anxiety. 2020;37(7):594–608. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23004.

47

Brunelin J, Jalenques I, Trojak B, et al. The efficacy and safety of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: the results from a large multicenter French RCT. Brain Stimul. 2014;7(6):855–863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2014.07.040.

48

Hejzlar M, Novak T, Bares M. Neurostimulation methods in the treatment of depression: a comparison of rTMS, tDCS, and venlafaxine using a pooled analysis of two studies. Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2021;17:1713–1722. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S303226.

49

Rigonatti SP, Boggio PS, Myczkowski ML, et al. Transcranial direct stimulation and fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. Eur Psychiatr. 2008;23(1):74–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.09.006.

50

Brunoni AR, Valiengo L, Baccaro A, et al. The sertraline vs. electrical current therapy for treating depression clinical study: results from a factorial, randomized, controlled trial. JAMA Psychiatr. 2013;70(4):383–391. https://doi.org/10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.32.

51

Abo Aoun M, Meek BP, Modirrousta M. Cognitive profiles in major depressive disorder: comparing remitters and non-remitters to rTMS treatment. Psychiatr Res. 2019;279:55–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.07.007.

52

Corlier J, Burnette E, Wilson AC, et al. Effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) on cognitive control. J Affect Disord. 2020;265:272–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.068.

53

Begemann MJ, Brand BA, Ćurčić-Blake B, et al. Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive functioning in brain disorders: a meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2020;50(15):2465–2486. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720003670.

54

Palm U, Schiller C, Fintescu Z, et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation in treatment resistant depression: a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Brain Stimul. 2012;5(3):242–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2011.08.005.

55

Soczynska JK, Ravindran LN, Styra R, et al. The effect of bupropion XL and escitalopram on memory and functional outcomes in adults with major depressive disorder: results from a randomized controlled trial. Psychiatr Res. 2014;220(1/2):245–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.06.053.

56

Gorlyn M, Keilp J, Burke A, et al. Treatment-related improvement in neuropsychological functioning in suicidal depressed patients: paroxetine vs. bupropion. Psychiatr Res. 2015;225(3):407–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.12.004.

57

Raskin J, Wiltse CG, Siegal A, et al. Efficacy of duloxetine on cognition, depression, and pain in elderly patients with major depressive disorder: an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Psychiatr. 2007;164(6):900–909. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2007.164.6.900.

58

Tian YH, Du J, Spagna A, et al. Venlafaxine treatment reduces the deficit of executive control of attention in patients with major depressive disorder. Sci Rep. 2016;6:28028. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28028.

59

Zhou XY, Teng T, Zhang YQ, et al. Comparative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants, psychotherapies, and their combination for acute treatment of children and adolescents with depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatr. 2020;7(7):581–601. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30137-1.

60

Herrero Babiloni A, Bellemare A, Beetz G, et al. The effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on sleep disturbances among different neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions: a systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2021;55:101381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101381.

61

Brunoni AR, Amadera J, Berbel B, et al. A systematic review on reporting and assessment of adverse effects associated with transcranial direct current stimulation. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2011;14(8):1133–1145. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1461145710001690.

62

Cao PP, Li YH, An B, et al. Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with antidepressants in children and adolescents with depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2023;336:25–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.051.

63

Kumpf U, Palm U, Eder J, et al. TDCS at home for depressive disorders: an updated systematic review and lessons learned from a prematurely terminated randomized controlled pilot study. Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci. 2023;273(7):1403–1420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s406-023-01620-y.

64

Tsujii N, Mikawa W, Akashi H, et al. Right temporal activation differs between melancholia and nonmelancholic depression: a multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Psychiatr Res. 2014;55:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.04.003.

65

Satomura Y, Sakakibara E, Takizawa R, et al. Severity-dependent and-independent brain regions of major depressive disorder: a long-term longitudinal near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Affect Disord. 2019;243:249–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.029.

66

Fu LY, Xiang D, Xiao JW, et al. Reduced prefrontal activation during the tower of London and verbal fluency task in patients with bipolar depression: a multi-channel NIRS study. Front Psychiatr. 2018;9:214. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00214.

67

Noda T, Yoshida S, Matsuda T, et al. Frontal and right temporal activations correlate negatively with depression severity during verbal fluency task: a multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Psychiatr Res. 2012;46(7):905–912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.04.001.

68

Wang ZY, Zhu RJ, Rehman AU, et al. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and task-switching performan effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroscience. 2020;446:94–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.08.020.

69

Toffanin T, Folesani F, Ferrara M, et al. Cognitive functioning as predictor and marker of response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in depressive disorders: a systematic review. Gen Hosp Psychiatr. 2022;79:19–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2022.10.001.

70

Dalhuisen I, Ackermans E, Martens L, et al. Longitudinal effects of rTMS on neuroplasticity in chronic treatment-resistant depression. Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci. 2021;271(1):39–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s406-020-01135-w.

71

Takamiya A, Hirano J, Ebuchi Y, et al. High-dose antidepressants affect near-infrared spectroscopy signals: a retrospective study. Neuroimage Clin. 2017;14:648–655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.008.

Journal of Neurorestoratology
Cite this article:
Lu Q, Hui J, Dai H, et al. Comparison of the efficacy of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression. Journal of Neurorestoratology, 2025, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnrt.2025.100190

83

Views

1

Crossref

1

Web of Science

1

Scopus

Altmetrics

Received: 14 July 2024
Revised: 07 December 2024
Accepted: 05 January 2025
Published: 01 June 2025
© 2025 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Return