tDCS as Adjunctive Therapy to Cognitive Stimulation in Medical Students With Depression

Transcranial direct current stimulation is one of the most studied techniques in noninvasive neuromodulation. With a very good safety profile and low cost, it has been widely used to modulate cognition and behavior in both experimental and clinical settings. A growing body of literature, including randomized controlled trials, reports the clinical benefits of tDCS for many psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, addiction, and cognitive functions. tDCS has considerable potential as a treatment due to its relative cost, portability, safety, and ease of use compared to other neuromodulation methods. Early studies evaluated the effects of tDCS on the motor cortex; however, more recent research has also focused on its effects on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), in particular for treating psychiatric disorders and modulating cognitive performance.

This brain stimulation program is based on cognitive reserve and neuronal plasticity to improve mental performance through online games. The activities presented in this tool combine different therapeutic exercises, rehabilitation and learning techniques aimed at retraining and improving the skills most needed by each person. The intervention battery has multi-disciplinary tasks organized in a systematic and strategic way. To make these materials accessible, they are presented in the form of simple games that can be easily practiced through any computer or device. These cognitive stimulation tools are aimed at both healthy subjects and people concerned about their brain health, or patients with some kind of injury or decline in the central nervous system.

Regarding the simulated condition or sham, the equipment has the option inside to program it. It gives the options: Active / sham protocol, by default: ON - enables active stimulation and OFF - enables sham stimulation. The devices will be programmed, such that a few seconds of stimulation are administered at the beginning and end of the programmed time period to mimic the cutaneous perceptions (itching, tingling) that tend to be reported within the first few moments of stimulator on, without being able to modify cortical excitability.