Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Children and Young People with Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has demonstrated benefits in adults with various psychiatric disorders, but its clinical utility in children and young people (CYP) remains unclear.ObjectiveThis PRISMA systematic review used published and ongoing studies to examine the effects of tDCS on disorder-specific symptoms, mood and neurocognition in CYP with psychiatric disorders.MethodsWe searched Medline via PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO via OVID, and Clinicaltrials.gov up to January 2022. Eligible studies involved multiple session (i.e. treatment) tDCS in CYP (≤ 25 years-old) with psychiatric disorders. Two independent raters assessed the eligibility of studies and extracted data using a custom-built form.ResultsOf 28 eligible studies (participant N= 379), the majority (n = 23) reported an improvement in at least one outcome measure of disorder-specific symptoms. Few studies (n = 9) examined tDCS effects on mood and/or neurocognition, but findings were mainly positive. Overall, tDCS was well-tolerated with minimal side-effects. Of 11 eligible ongoing studies, many are sham-controlled RCTs (n = 9) with better blinding techniques and a larger estimated participant enrolment (M = 74.7; range: 11-172) than published studies.ConclusionsFindings provide encouraging evidence of tDCS-related improvement in disorder-specific symptoms, but evidence remains limited, especially in terms of mood and neurocognitive outcomes. Ongoing studies appear to be of improved methodological quality; however, future studies should broaden outcome measures to more comprehensively assess the effects of tDCS and develop dosage guidance (i.e. treatment regimens).