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Updated: Aug 10, 2025
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simultaneous Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: April 27, 2014
Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in children and young people with psychiatric disorders: a
Lucy Gallop1, Samuel J Westwood2,3, Yael Lewis4,5,6
1Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, PO Box 59, London, SE5 8AF, UK. lucy.gallop@kcl.ac.uk.
Insights
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows promise for children and young people with psychiatric disorders, with most studies reporting symptom improvement. However, more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness for clinical symptoms, mood, and cognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is used in adults for psychiatric disorders.
- Its efficacy in children and young people (CYP) with psychiatric disorders is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effects of tDCS on psychiatric symptoms, mood, and neurocognition in CYP.
- To assess the quality of published and ongoing tDCS studies in this population.
Main Methods:
- PRISMA systematic review of published and ongoing studies up to December 2022.
- Searched Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Clinicaltrials.gov for studies involving CYP (≤25 years) with psychiatric disorders.
- Two independent raters assessed study eligibility and extracted data.
Main Results:
- 33 eligible studies (N=517) found that most reported improvements in disorder-specific symptoms.
- 13 studies examining mood and neurocognition showed mainly positive findings.
- tDCS was generally well-tolerated with minimal side effects.
- Ongoing studies (n=11) are often sham-controlled RCTs with improved methodology.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence is insufficient to definitively conclude tDCS benefits clinical symptoms, mood, or cognition in CYP with psychiatric disorders.
- Ongoing studies suggest improved methodological rigor.
- Future research should expand outcome measures and establish optimal tDCS treatment regimens.
Abstract:
Transcranial 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. This 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. We searched Medline via PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO via OVID, and Clinicaltrials.gov up to December 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. Of 33 eligible studies (participant N = 517), the majority (n = 27) reported an improvement in at least one outcome measure of disorder-specific symptoms. Few studies (n = 13) 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 = 79.7; range 15-172) than published studies. Although encouraging, the evidence to date is insufficient to firmly conclude that tDCS can improve clinical symptoms, mood, or cognition in CYP with psychiatric disorders. Ongoing studies appear 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).
