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A headset worn at home that zaps the brain with the energy of a 9-volt battery may help reduce symptoms of depression, a new study shows.
The research is published last week In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, 87 adults with at least moderate depression who used a headset for 10 weeks had a lower risk of depression than 87 other people who used a similar inactive headset for the same period of time. It was also found that symptoms of depression were significantly improved.
Additionally, twice as many people in the active treatment group reported remission of their depressive symptoms compared to those in the placebo group: 45% vs. 22%.
“Remission means there are no more active mood episodes,” says Dr. Rodrigo Machado Vieira, a psychiatrist who directs the Experimental Therapeutics and Molecular Pathophysiology Program at UT Health Houston. say. He was one of the institutions that recruited patients for the study. .
In other words, patients who achieved remission using the device When asked about their symptoms, they were likely to report some problems, such as sleep problems or anxiety, but they would not score high enough to qualify as clinical depression, he explained. .
Machado Vieira said the company making the headset funded the research, but the money went into the university’s general research fund. He said he has no personal financial interest in the product.
This device is available in the UK, Norway, Hong Kong, and EU countries. It was made by a Swedish company called Flow Neuroscience, which says it is in the final stages of seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell the device in the United States for depression.
Similar devices are commercially available in the United States, but most do not claim to treat any symptoms or conditions. Instead, it promises to improve attention and concentration and does not target specific areas of the brain.
The Flow Neuroscience headset uses an app with video tutorials and telemedicine visits to ensure people can correctly place two electrodes to stimulate two specific brain areas. The first is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in executive function and cognition. The second is called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and is involved in emotional regulation. the study show People with depression tend to have lower than normal brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and higher than normal brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
device According to clinical psychologist Daniel Manson, co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, “In areas where the brain moves too slowly, the brain “It’s designed to speed up activity and slow down brain activity in areas that are overactive.”
“You’re trying to rebalance your activities,” he said.
The device does not cause nerve cells in the brain to fire, but they can be stimulated to function properly using a method called transcranial direct current stimulation.
“It uses a weak electrical current that modulates the neuron’s action potential, making it easier for the neuron to fire and discharge,” said Dr. Cynthia Hu, professor at King’s University Center for Affective Disorders. College London led the research. Hu said he also has no financial interest in the device.
Liana de Hoyos, a 34-year-old mother of two from Houston, was one of the study participants.
De Hoyos has been dealing with mental health issues since she was a teenager. So when I received an email from a psychiatric clinic, When I asked her if she wanted to help me test the Flow headset, she didn’t hesitate.
“One of the worst symptoms I have is something called executive dysfunction, where in my head I want to do something but physically I can’t do it.” said De Hoyos. “For some reason, I’m just overwhelmed or just can’t do it.”
In the study, she wears a headset, logs on to a computer conference, and a research observer watches her for 30 minutes while she administers the treatment.
She says stimulation of the brain begins with a slight buzzing sound and perhaps a slight tingling or burning sensation.
“If you’ve ever bleached your hair, you’ll feel that way, in a strange way.” de Hoyos Said. “It tastes a little spicy.”
It took a few weeks, but she noticed a change. “I found that the more I did it, the more I felt a little bit more motivated to actually do something.”
De Hoyos said one of her biggest struggles is keeping the house clean.
“I have what I call my ‘doom pile,’ which is just a pile of random things that I need to put away and don’t know where to put them,” she said.
However, after she used the headset, the pile of doom began to disappear.
“I finally had a moment where I thought, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I’ve actually been able to stay on top of this issue and attack it without much outside help,” she added. Ta.
Although she had to return the headset at the end of the study, she said she plans to use it again when it becomes available in the United States.
Hu said that when her team began researching transcranial direct current stimulation for depression, they first I searched the medical literature.
They found numerous studies showing the technology could be effective, all of which provided treatments in clinical settings. It had to be done regularly to be effective, and it seemed too much of a hassle for patients.
“We thought, ‘Okay, let’s see if we can offer this at home,'” Fu said. They created and tested new protocols.
She says this study proves that people can safely and effectively use the technology on their own without having to go to a doctor’s office.
Hu says she thinks it’s effective enough that it could potentially become a first-line treatment for depression. It may also work as an add-on therapy for people who feel they are not getting the full benefit from their medications.
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She says it’s unclear how long the device’s effects will last.
After 10 weeks in either the placebo or treatment group, the study was unblinded and those who were in the placebo group were allowed to use an active headset. That phase of the study lasted an additional 10 weeks, so subjects were in the study for a total of about five months.
After the study ended, participants were checked in to see how they were doing three and six months later, Hu said.
“We are in the process of submitting it for publication,” she said. “In general, people continue to do well, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
flow neuroscience Munson said the device has not been studied for specific types of depression, such as seasonal affective disorder or postpartum depression, but it has been approved for major depressive disorder in Europe, so it may be useful in these sub-groups. He said the type can also be treated.
Manson said that while there were no serious adverse events in clinical trials and it appears to be fairly safe, certain people should be cautious when using this type of device and should consult their doctor. Ta. They include:
- pregnant person
- People under 18 years old
- Anyone who has suicidal thoughts
- People who have had a stroke
- Those with a history of epilepsy or seizures
- People who have had brain surgery or have metal clips or plates in their head
- People with skin conditions that can affect the skin on the forehead, such as psoriasis
- Anyone with bipolar disorder
de hoyos Overall, they noticed a slight positive effect from using the device and said they wished they could have used it longer.
“Right before I finished my research, I felt like I was close to a breakthrough. “I felt like I didn’t have enough time,” she said, “although I really wanted to do more. , I wanted to see if it would be more helpful if I did more.”
