A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent mental condition characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions), significantly disrupting daily functioning and social interactions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) presents a promisi...

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Main Authors: Ismail A. Ibrahim, Ahmed Hosney Nada, Nada Khalid Asar, Rand Ibrahim, Rawan Ahmed Farouk, Almonzer Al-Qiami, Sarah A. Nada, Parisa Alizadeh Oghyanous, Seyed Ali Noorbakhsh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-10-01
Series:Experimental Gerontology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556524001979
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author Ismail A. Ibrahim
Ahmed Hosney Nada
Nada Khalid Asar
Rand Ibrahim
Rawan Ahmed Farouk
Almonzer Al-Qiami
Sarah A. Nada
Parisa Alizadeh Oghyanous
Seyed Ali Noorbakhsh
author_facet Ismail A. Ibrahim
Ahmed Hosney Nada
Nada Khalid Asar
Rand Ibrahim
Rawan Ahmed Farouk
Almonzer Al-Qiami
Sarah A. Nada
Parisa Alizadeh Oghyanous
Seyed Ali Noorbakhsh
author_sort Ismail A. Ibrahim
collection DOAJ
description Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent mental condition characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions), significantly disrupting daily functioning and social interactions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) presents a promising non-invasive treatment modality aimed at alleviating symptoms. However, the evidence regarding its effectiveness remains inconclusive. This study seeks to address this gap by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, offering improved guidance for clinical intervention. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented across multiple databases, including PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. This search focused strictly on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 147 patients. These trials evaluated the efficacy of tDCS in OCD patients. Subsequent data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and statistical analysis using Review Manager software revealed the potential efficacy of tDCS in reducing OCD symptoms. The meta-analysis not only fails to demonstrate significant superiority of active tDCS over sham tDCS but also suggests that sham tDCS may be more effective than active tDCS in reducing OCD symptoms. This finding diminishes the promise of tDCS as an effective treatment for OCD. Larger trials are warranted to further elucidate these findings.
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spelling doaj-art-08da633a4ba046fca05631dfc037687a2025-08-20T01:55:21ZengElsevierExperimental Gerontology1873-68152024-10-0119611255110.1016/j.exger.2024.112551A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventionsIsmail A. Ibrahim0Ahmed Hosney Nada1Nada Khalid Asar2Rand Ibrahim3Rawan Ahmed Farouk4Almonzer Al-Qiami5Sarah A. Nada6Parisa Alizadeh Oghyanous7Seyed Ali Noorbakhsh8Faculty of Health Sciences, Fenerbahce University, Istanbul, TurkeyFaculty of Medicine, Benha University, EgyptFaculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, EgyptFaculty of Medicine, University of Aleppo, SyriaFaculty of Medicine, Al Fayoum University, EgyptFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kassala University, Kassala, SudanFaculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, EgyptIslamic Azad University, Tehran South Branch, Tehran, IranSciencebeam Institute, Istanbul, Turkey; Corresponding author.Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent mental condition characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions), significantly disrupting daily functioning and social interactions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) presents a promising non-invasive treatment modality aimed at alleviating symptoms. However, the evidence regarding its effectiveness remains inconclusive. This study seeks to address this gap by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials, offering improved guidance for clinical intervention. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented across multiple databases, including PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. This search focused strictly on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 147 patients. These trials evaluated the efficacy of tDCS in OCD patients. Subsequent data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and statistical analysis using Review Manager software revealed the potential efficacy of tDCS in reducing OCD symptoms. The meta-analysis not only fails to demonstrate significant superiority of active tDCS over sham tDCS but also suggests that sham tDCS may be more effective than active tDCS in reducing OCD symptoms. This finding diminishes the promise of tDCS as an effective treatment for OCD. Larger trials are warranted to further elucidate these findings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556524001979TDCsObsessive-compulsive disorderNon-pharmacological approachTranscranial direct current stimulationY-BOCSNeuromodulation
spellingShingle Ismail A. Ibrahim
Ahmed Hosney Nada
Nada Khalid Asar
Rand Ibrahim
Rawan Ahmed Farouk
Almonzer Al-Qiami
Sarah A. Nada
Parisa Alizadeh Oghyanous
Seyed Ali Noorbakhsh
A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
Experimental Gerontology
TDCs
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Non-pharmacological approach
Transcranial direct current stimulation
Y-BOCS
Neuromodulation
title A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
title_full A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
title_fullStr A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
title_short A systematic review and meta-analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in OCD treatment: A non-pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
title_sort systematic review and meta analysis for the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation tdcs in ocd treatment a non pharmacological approach to clinical interventions
topic TDCs
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Non-pharmacological approach
Transcranial direct current stimulation
Y-BOCS
Neuromodulation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556524001979
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