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Review
. 2018 Sep;41(3):447-463.
doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2018.05.002.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Psychiatric Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Adriano H Moffa  1 , Andre R Brunoni  2 , Stevan Nikolin  3 , Colleen K Loo  3
Affiliations
Review

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Psychiatric Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Adriano H Moffa et al. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been gaining favor as a viable tool in Psychiatry. The purpose of this review is to summarize the evidence of tDCS as a treatment of disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Current findings indicate that tDCS is probably effective in non-treatment-resistant depressive patients. Regarding schizophrenia and OCD, present evidence is not robust enough, although preliminary results indicate that tDCS is a promising technique. Therefore, more trials are needed before using tDCS in a clinical setting.

Keywords: Major depression; NIBS; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Psychiatric disorders; Schizophrenia; Transcranial direct current stimulation; tDCS.

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