Is there a neuroscience-based, mechanistic rationale for transcranial direct current stimulation as an adjunct treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder?

Behav Neurosci. 2021 Dec;135(6):702-713. doi: 10.1037/bne0000487. Epub 2021 Aug 2.

Abstract

It is well-known that there is considerable variation in the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for psychiatric disorders, and a continued need to improve the real-world effectiveness of these treatments. In the last 20+ years the examination of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques for psychiatric treatment has increased dramatically. However, in order to test these techniques for effective therapeutic use, it is critical to understand (a) (what are) the key neural circuits to engage for specific disorders or clusters of symptoms, and (b) (how) can these circuits be reached effectively using neurostimulation? Here we focus on the research toward the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). tDCS is a portable and inexpensive technique that lends itself well to be combined with, and thus potentially augment, exposure-based treatment for PTSD. In this review, we discuss the behavioral model of threat and safety learning and memory as it relates to PTSD, the underlying neurobiology of PTSD, as well as the current understandings of tDCS action, including its limitations and opportunities. Through this lens, we summarize the research on the application of tDCS to modulated threat and safety learning and memory to date, and propose new directions for its future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Neurosciences*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / therapy
  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation*
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation