Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2020 Jul;10(7):e01648.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.1648. Epub 2020 May 14.

Treating refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder with transcranial direct current stimulation: An open label study

Ghina Harika-Germaneau  1   2   3 , Damien Heit  1 , Armand Chatard  1   2   4 , Berangere Thirioux  1 , Nicolas Langbour  1 , Nemat Jaafari  1   2   3
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Treating refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder with transcranial direct current stimulation: An open label study

Ghina Harika-Germaneau et al. Brain Behav. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex disorder with 40%-60% of patients' refractory to treatment. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to induce potent and long-lasting effects on cortical excitability. The aim of the present clinical trial was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and tolerability of cathodal tDCS over the supplementary motor area (SMA) in treatment-resistant OCD patients.

Methods: Twenty-one treatment-resistant OCD outpatients received 10 sessions of tDCS. Each treatment session consisted of 2 mA stimuli for 30 min. The cathode was positioned over the bilateral SMA and the anode over the right supraorbital area. Patients were evaluated at baseline, end of treatment, one-month follow-up, and three-month follow-up. Response to treatment was defined as at least a decrease of 35% on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and a score of 2 or less on the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) between baseline and 1-month follow-up.

Results: There was a significant decrease of YBOCS scores between baseline and one-month assessment. At one month, five patients (24%) were considered as responders and 3 (15%) at 3 months. We also observed concomitant changes in depressive symptoms, and insight. The treatment was well tolerated. Short-lasting side effects were reported as localized tingling sensation and skin redness.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of cathodal tDCS over the SMA and anodal tDCS over the right supraorbital area in OCD treatment-refractory patients is safe and promising to improve obsessive and compulsive symptoms. Large randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm this positive result.

Keywords: obsessive-compulsive disorder; supplementary motor area; tDCS; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evolution of Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale scores at baseline, after 10 tDCS sessions, and at 1‐ and 3‐month follow‐up. Results are given as mean ± SE
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahmari, S. E. , & Dougherty, D. D. (2015). Dissecting OCD curcuits: From animal models to targeted treatments. Depression and Anxiety, 32(8), 550–562. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bation, R. , Mondino, M. , Le Camus, F. , Saoud, M. , & Brunelin, J. (2019). Transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. European Psychiatry: The Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 62, 38–44. - PubMed
    1. Brunelin, J. , Mondino, M. , Bation, R. , Palm, U. , Saoud, M. , & Poulet, E. (2018). Transcranial direct current stimulation for obsessive‐compulsive disorder. A Systematic review. Brain Sciences, 8(2), 37 10.3390/brainsci8020037 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brunoni, A. R. , Amadera, J. , Berbel, B. , Volz, M. S. , Rizzerio, B. G. , & Fregni, F. (2011). A systematic review on reporting and assessment of adverse effects associated with transcranial direct current stimulation. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 14(8), 1133–1145. 10.1017/S1461145710001690 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brunoni, A. R. , Valiengo, L. , Baccaro, A. , Zanão, T. A. , de Oliveira, J. F. , Goulart, A. , … Fregni, F. (2013). « The sertraline vs. electrical current therapy for treating depression clinical study: Results from a factorial, Randomized, Controlled Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 70(4), 383–391. 10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.32 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types