A headset that can be used at home could be used to help treat depression, a study has found.
Experts say the findings could have a “significant impact” on the future treatment of the condition.
The treatment relieves all symptoms of depression in more than half of patients (57.5%) in just 10 weeks, the research suggests.
The study also showed that the headset, which zaps the brain, was able to improve symptoms in 64.2% of the patients involved in the trial.
No serious side effects associated with using the device were reported in the research published in the Nature Medicine journal.
Allan Young, chairman of mood disorders, director of centre for affective disorders in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: “These results are very exciting and are poised to have a significant impact on the future treatment of depression.
“Major depression is undertreated throughout the world, and the current treatment modalities have significant limitations.
“This trial shows that this treatment is both effective and well tolerated, giving patients who are currently struggling to find options that work for them a vital new alternative.”
The Flow Neuroscience headset uses a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate an area of the brain linked with low activity in patients with depression.
The stimulation is delivered through a commercially available device that can be used by patients safely at home.
Patients in the research were on a stable long-term dose of an antidepressant but were still moderately to severely depressed going into the study.
Using the device with the antidepressant led to even better results, with remission rates at 67.1% when combined with an antidepressant, the study in 174 patients with depression found.
Professor Cynthia Fu, the study’s senior author and a professor of affective neuroscience and psychotherapy at King’s IoPPN, said: “The burden of depression is mostly keenly felt by the 280 million people worldwide currently managing symptoms.
“While a combination of antidepressants and therapy generally proves to be effective for many people, medication can have side-effects that some can find disruptive.
“Our study has demonstrated that tDCS is a safe and effective alternative that has the potential to help those in need.”
