A recent study led by the University of Florida found that a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment was successful in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in older adults. The treatment showed the most significant improvements in patients who had higher symptom levels before receiving the treatment. Additionally, the benefits of the treatment were still present in participants with moderate to severe state anxiety, even a year after the initial treatment.The results, which were released in Brain Stimulation, point to the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a viable, noninvasive, and drug-free approach to addressing depression and anxiety symptoms in 25% of older adults. According to Adam Woods, Ph.D., the senior author of the study and the associate dean for research and a professor of clinical and health psychology at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions as well as the co-director of UF’s Center for Cognitive Aging, “Depression and anxiety can have a significant impact on our overall mental health, cognitive function, and ability to live independently as we get older.”Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research states that frontline treatments often include medication and therapy, which can be successful. However, there is a need for accessible and noninvasive options for those who do not respond to medication, cannot access clinic-based programs, or for other reasons.
The study led by UF showed treatment benefits for participants with subclinical depression and anxiety, whose symptoms may not meet the criteria for diagnosis. Nevertheless, even subclinical depression and anxiety can have benefits from the treatment.The researchers have found that tDCS treatment, which involves a safe and weak electrical current passing through electrodes placed on the head, could potentially be linked to cognitive decline in older adults. The treatment specifically targeted the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain responsible for cognition and emotion regulation. This study was part of the National Institute on Aging-funded Augmenting Clinical Training in Older Adults Study, the largest of its kind with participants from UF and University of Arizona study sites. About 400 older adults were randomly assigned to two groups: 12 weeks of tDCS treatment.tDCS was used in combination with cognitive training to enhance working memory and processing speed, while another group received cognitive training paired with a placebo version of tDCS for 12 weeks. Researchers gathered various data from cognitive, functional, and neuroimaging tests, as well as self-reported psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety. After adjusting for factors like prescription medications that could affect depression and anxiety symptoms, the study revealed that those who received tDCS treatment showed notable improvements in mild depression and moderate to severe anxiety.
A study conducted by Hanna Hausman, a UF PHHP clinical psychology Ph.D. student in neuropsychology, found that individuals who received active stimulation to a specific area of the brain showed a reduction in state anxiety compared to those who did not receive the stimulation. Hausman stated that previous research has shown the effectiveness of this type of stimulation in reducing psychological symptoms in individuals with diagnosed psychiatric disorders. The study also found that older adults without significant psychiatric histories experienced similar effects on a large scale, which was an unexpected but welcome surprise. The therapeutic effect of reducing subclinical depression and anxiety symptoms is important, according to Hausman.
Issues in older adults are linked to negative results. The next step for this research should involve a phase 3 randomized clinical trial to evaluate the impact of tDCS and cognitive training on anxiety in a large and diverse group of older adults. The Korea Food and Drug Administration has authorized tDCS as a home treatment for depression for adults in South Korea. With further research, it could potentially become a readily available and user-friendly treatment in the U.S. once enough evidence is gathered for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. tDCS treatment is cost-effective, portable, and convenient.Hausman stated that tDCS can be easily combined with current mental health treatments or used on its own. This could make it more accessible for people to use at home, cutting down on costs for personnel. This makes it a promising option for individuals who may have trouble getting face-to-face clinical care.
Journal Reference:
- Hanna K. Hausman, Gene E. Alexander, Ronald Cohen, Michael Marsiske, Steven T. DeKosky, Georg A. Hishaw, Andrew O’Shea, Jessica N. Kraft, Yunfeng Dai, Samuel Wu, Adam J. Woods. tDCS reduces depression and stat rnrnThe article discusses the anxiety symptoms in older adults as studied in the augmenting cognitive training in older adults (ACT). The study was published in Brain Stimulation in 2024, with a DOI of 10.1016/j.brs.2024.02.021.