Resolving heterogeneity in transcranial electrical stimulation efficacy for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Renée Lipka; Eike Ahlers; Thomas L Reed; Malin I Karstens; Vu Nguyen; Malek Bajbouj; Roi Cohen Kadosh

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113586

Resolving heterogeneity in transcranial electrical stimulation efficacy for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Exp Neurol. 2021 Mar:337:113586. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113586. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

Authors

Renée Lipka¹, Eike Ahlers¹, Thomas L Reed², Malin I Karstens², Vu Nguyen³, Malek Bajbouj¹, Roi Cohen Kadosh⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany.
² Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom.
³ Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HT, United Kingdom.
⁴ Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory, Anna Watts Building, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom. Electronic address: roi.cohenkadosh@psy.ox.ac.uk.

PMID: 33382986
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113586

Abstract

While the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is dominated by pharmacological agents, transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is gaining attention as an alternative method for treatment. Most current meta-analyses have suggested that tES can improve cognitive functions that are otherwise impaired in ADHD, such as inhibition and working memory, as well as alleviated clinical symptoms. Here we review some of the promising findings in the field of tES. At the same time, we highlight two factors, which hinder the effective application of tES in treating ADHD: 1) the heterogeneity of tES protocols used in different studies; 2) patient profiles influencing responses to tES. We highlight potential solutions for overcoming such limitations, including the use of active machine learning, and provide simulated data to demonstrate how these solutions could also improve the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; Bayesian optimization; Heterogeneity; NIBS; Personalization; tES.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / therapy*
Child
Cognition
Humans
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / methods*
Treatment Outcome