Transcranial direct current stimulation for obsessive compulsive disorder: A systematic review and CONSORT evaluation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health condition.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging neuromodulation technique explored for OCD treatment.
• Systematic reviews are crucial for synthesizing evidence on novel therapeutic interventions.

Approach:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
• Quality assessment of eleven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the CONSORT statement.
• Analysis of reporting standards, intervention details, participant flow, and effect sizes.

Key Points:

• Eleven RCTs evaluated, revealing suboptimal reporting quality based on CONSORT criteria.
• Critical deficiencies noted in reporting intervention replicability, participant flow, and effect sizes.
• Discussions often lacked consideration of limitations and generalizability, with incongruent interpretations.

Conclusions:

• Significant heterogeneity in tDCS protocols and procedures complicates treatment efficacy assessment for OCD.
• Only two studies reported statistically significant differences between sham and active tDCS, with small effect sizes.
• Future research requires robust, empirically driven, randomized sham-controlled trials with adequate power.