Ana Lucia de Lima1, Francisco Moisés Azevedo Braga2, Rodrigo Maciel Medeiros da Costa2, Elihab Pereira Gomes2, André Russowsky Brunoni3, Rodrigo Pegado4. 1. Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. 2. Universidade Potiguar, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. 3. Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Internal Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 4. Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Electronic address: rodrigopegado@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common condition with current treatments being only moderately effective. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques might provide a novel approach for treating GAD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promising efficacy and tolerability for major depression but has not been investigated for GAD yet. Thus, we investigated the effects of tDCS on patients with GAD. METHODS: We conducted a pilot, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial on 30 GAD patients. Five sessions of tDCS (2 mA, 20 min, anode over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cathode over the right supraorbital cortex) were performed. Anxiety was the primary outcome and it was measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Secondary outcomes were accessed by the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data were examined at baseline, after the 5th day of intervention, and at 1-week follow-up. RESULTS:Thirty patients finished the study. There were no significant improvements in anxiety, mood symptoms of stress, affectivity or depression. Anodal stimulation of the left DLPFC showed significant improvements in physical symptoms of stress in GAD patients. LIMITATIONS: Additional tDCS sessions could have resulted in larger tDCS effects. CONCLUSION: Five sessions of anodal tDCS over the DLPFC did not improve the main outcomes for GAD patients, although physical symptoms of stress were improved. The role of tDCS in GAD should be explored in larger patient samples using different parameters. Published by Elsevier B.V.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common condition with current treatments being only moderately effective. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques might provide a novel approach for treating GAD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promising efficacy and tolerability for major depression but has not been investigated for GAD yet. Thus, we investigated the effects of tDCS on patients with GAD. METHODS: We conducted a pilot, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial on 30 GAD patients. Five sessions of tDCS (2 mA, 20 min, anode over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cathode over the right supraorbital cortex) were performed. Anxiety was the primary outcome and it was measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Secondary outcomes were accessed by the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data were examined at baseline, after the 5th day of intervention, and at 1-week follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty patients finished the study. There were no significant improvements in anxiety, mood symptoms of stress, affectivity or depression. Anodal stimulation of the left DLPFC showed significant improvements in physical symptoms of stress in GAD patients. LIMITATIONS: Additional tDCS sessions could have resulted in larger tDCS effects. CONCLUSION: Five sessions of anodal tDCS over the DLPFC did not improve the main outcomes for GAD patients, although physical symptoms of stress were improved. The role of tDCS in GAD should be explored in larger patient samples using different parameters. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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