The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Improving Emotion Health

Browse trials for

• Anhedonia 119

Keywords

• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
• Subthreshold Depression
• Emotion
• Neuromodulation

Anhedonia

119 studies on the registry are indexed under Anhedonia; 44 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 70 across 99 interventional studies indexed under Anhedonia.

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,262 studies on the registry; 340 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Study arms

• Experimental
  IDLPFC tDCS

  This intervention is a 20 minutes per session, two-week tDCS neuromodulation of IDLPFC region (anode: F3, cathode: FP2) designed to reduce depressive symptoms via enhancing positive emotion functions, thereby reducing anhedonia.

  Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

• Experimental
  rVLPFC tDCS

  This intervention is a 20 minutes per session, two-week tDCS neuromodulation of rVLPFC region (anode: F6, cathode: FP1) designed to reduce depressive symptoms via regulating negative emotion functions, thereby reducing depressed mood.

  Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

• Sham comparator
  Sham tDCS

  This is a 20 minutes per session, two-week Sham comparator of IDLPFC/rVLPFC region, participants will receive tDCS for 30 seconds at either IDLPFC/rVLPFC at the beginning of each session to stimulate real neuromodulation.

  Device: Sham tDCS

Interventions

• DeviceTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation

  TDCS is a non-invasive, safe, inexpensive, convenient and effective method to modulate brain and emotion functions. During tDCS, a mild electric current is passed between the anodal and cathodal electrodes on the scalp, which respectively excites and inhibits local and downstream neuronal activity, as well as modulating interregional connectivity strength. Compared to other neurostimulation methods such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, tDCS side effects tend to be milder and transient, even if being administered for multiple sessions, making it suitable to be widely applied on clinical and subclinical populations.

  Also known as: tDCS

• DeviceSham tDCS

  The sham tDCS delivers actual stimulation for 30 seconds only, while providing similar psychological perceptions to participants as the real intervention. Thus, the sham tDCS serves as an active control condition to the tDCS interventions.

Primary outcomes

1. Depressive symptoms

   The Beck Depression Inventory-II Chinese Version measures change in depressive symptoms. The total score range is 0-63, higher score indicates more severe depressive symptoms.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

Secondary outcomes

1. Affective trait

   The Chinese Affect Scale measures changes in positive and negative affective traits. Both the positive affect and the negative affect subscales have a score range of 0-40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of positive affect trait and negative affect trait respectively.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

2. Anhedonia severity

   The dimensional anhedonia rating scale measures change in anhedonia severity on distinct physical/social domain. The scale comprises four subscales: Hobbies (4 items; score range 0-16), Food/Drink (4 items; score range 0-16), Social Activities (4 items; score range 0-16), and Sensory Experience (5 items; score range 0-20), with higher scores on each subscale indicating less anhedonia severity within the corresponding domain.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

3. Anhedonia symptoms

   The Chapman Physical/Social Anhedonia scales assess change in anhedonia symptoms in physical and social domains. The Chapman Physical Anhedonia Scale consists of 61 true-false items with a total score range of 0-61, and the Chapman Social Anhedonia Scale consists of 40 true-false items with a total score range of 0-40. For both scales, higher scores indicate higher levels of anhedonia.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

4. Behavioural motivation trait

   The Behavioural Activation and Inhibition Scale measures change in reward-driven approaching and punishment-driven avoidance tendencies. The Behavioural Inhibition System scale consists of 7 items with a score range of 7-28, with higher scores indicating higher behavioural inhibition. The Behavioural Activation System scale comprises three subscales: Drive (4 items; score range 4-16), Fun Seeking (4 items; score range 4-16), and Reward Responsiveness (5 items; score range 5-20). Higher scores on each BAS subscale indicate higher levels of behavioural activation within the corresponding domain.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

5. Emotion regulation function

   The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire measures change in emotion regulation functions. The scale comprises nine subscales, Self-Blame, Acceptance, Rumination, Positive Refocusing, Refocus on Planning, Positive Reappraisal, Putting into Perspective, Catastrophising, and Other-Blame. Each consisting of 2 items with a score range of 2-10. Higher scores on each subscale indicate greater habitual use of emotion regulation strategy.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

6. Coping to adversity

   The Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory measures change in people's coping strategies to hardships. The problem-focused subscale consist of 8 items (score range 4-32). The emotion-focused subscale consists of 12 items (score range 4-46). The avoidant/dysfunctional coping subscale consists of 8 items (score range 4-32). In each subscale, higher scores indicate greater use of the corresponding coping strategy.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

7. Reward sensitivity

   The Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale assesses change in sensitivity towards both anticipatory and consummatory pleasurable experience. The scale comprises four subscales: Abstract Anticipatory Pleasure (4 items; score range 4-24), Contextual Anticipatory Pleasure (5 items; score range 5-30), Abstract Consummatory Pleasure (6 items; score range 6-36), and Contextual Consummatory Pleasure (4 items; score range 4-24), with higher scores on each subscale indicating greater capacity to experience pleasure from reward.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

8. Apathy symptom

   The Apathy Evaluation Scale-Self measures change in emotional indifference and apathy (lack of motivation). The scale consists of 18 items, yielding a total score range of 0-54, with higher scores indicating greater emotional indifference and higher levels of apathy.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

9. Perceived loneliness

   The brief UCLA Loneliness Scale measures change in the participants' subjective loneliness. The scale consists of 6 items yielding a total score range of 6-24, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived loneliness.

   Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

10. Stress level

    The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale measures change in perceived stressful experiences. The scale consists of 10 items yielding a total score range of 0-40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

11. Emotion ratings of words

    The Emotion Rating Task measures changes in participants' feeling and motivation to positive social, positive non-social, negative social and negative non-social word stimuli.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

12. Instrumental behavioural motivation

    The Monetary Incentive Delay task measures change in behavioural motivations to obtain rewards or to avoid punishment.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

13. Emotional inhibition control

    The Emotion Stroop task measures change in participants' inhibition control of emotional processing.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

14. Cognitive control function

    The colour stroop measures change in cognitive control and inhibition functions.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

15. Working memory

    The N-back task measures change in the participants' working memory capacity.

    Time frame: Baseline (Day 1), Post-Intervention (Day 15), 1-Month Follow-up (Day 45), 3-Month Follow-up (Day 105)

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No