Home-based Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) for the Management of Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Neuromodulation
• Psychiatric Disorders
• Digital Health

Background:

• Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique with therapeutic potential for psychiatric disorders.
• Recent advancements allow home-based tES administration, improving accessibility and reducing costs.
• This review systematically assesses preliminary evidence, feasibility, safety, and trends of home-based tES for psychiatric conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically map the evidence on home-based tES interventions for psychiatric disorders.
• To assess the feasibility, safety, and methodological trends of these interventions.
• To identify gaps in current research and inform future clinical guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus (2000-2024) following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Eligible studies focused on home-based tES (tDCS, tACS) for psychiatric disorders.
• Data extraction included study characteristics, protocols, monitoring, outcomes, and challenges from 43 included studies (19 RCTs, 12 open-label, 12 case series/reports).

Main Results:

• Home-based tES demonstrated high feasibility, good adherence, and minimal adverse effects.
• Potential symptom improvement was observed across various psychiatric disorders, particularly depression and mild cognitive impairment.
• The majority of studies utilized transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), often with remote supervision or digital support.

Conclusions:

• Home-based tES is feasible and safe, with preliminary evidence suggesting potential benefits for psychiatric disorders.
• Limitations include small sample sizes, protocol heterogeneity, and limited long-term data, restricting generalizability.
• Larger, rigorous trials and integration with telehealth are recommended to establish efficacy, optimize parameters, and develop standardized guidelines for safe at-home use.