Brain Stimulation Shows Promise for Alleviating Depression and Anxiety

Transcranial direct current stimulation has been shown to effectively reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in older adults, particularly those with moderate to severe symptoms, according to a University of Florida study. Credit: SciTechDaily.comstudy indicates that transcranial direct current stimulation effectively alleviates depression and anxiety in older adults, offering a noninvasive, drug-free treatment alternative.

“Depression and anxiety can impact our overall mental health, cognitive function and ability to function independently as we age,” said the study’s senior author Adam Woods, Ph.D., the associate dean for research and a professor of clinical and health psychology at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions and co-director of UF’s Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research.

The new study was conducted as part of the National Institute on Aging-funded Augmenting Clinical Training in Older Adults Study, the largest study of its kind with older adults participating at UF and University of Arizona study sites. Nearly 400 older adults were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 12 weeks of tDCS paired with cognitive training designed to improve working memory and processing speed, or 12 weeks of cognitive training paired with a placebo version of tDCS.

“Extensive research has demonstrated the efficacy of active stimulation to this area of the brain in reducing psychological symptoms in individuals with diagnosed psychiatric disorders,” said Hanna Hausman, the study’s lead author and a UF PHHP clinical psychology Ph.D. student in neuropsychology. “It was an unexpected yet welcome surprise to witness similar effects in our sample of older adults without significant psychiatric histories, especially on a large scale.

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