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Updated: May 30, 2025
Treating Clinical Depression with Repetitive Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Using the Brainsway H1-coil
Published on: October 4, 2016
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) for Major Depressive Disorder
Julie A Clancy1, Justin Riddle1, Paolo Cassano1
1Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts (JAC, PC); Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (JAC, PC); Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (JR, FF); Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (JR, FF); Depression Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (PC); Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (PC); Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (FF); Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (FF); Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (FF); and Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (FF).
Abstract:
The 21st century has brought forth major advancements in device-based treatments for psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD). One of the most exciting technologies on the rise in this field is transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). The small but rapidly growing body of knowledge on tACS suggests that this wearable, low-cost, noninvasive neuromodulation method could provide a safe and effective alternative, or augmentation, to pharmacological interventions for MDD. While device parameters for treatment of MDD need refinement before this method is ready for standardized clinical use, we expect that tACS will make a significant impact on psychiatric treatment in the coming years.
