Role of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Management of Post-Stroke Depression

Study Objectives: Stroke is a major neurological disease significantly threatening the human health and life with a high morbidity, disability, and mortality. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the common complications of stroke. PSD has been a major factor hindering the recovery of neurological functions and daily activities in stroke patients and is closely related to the social avoidance and increased mortality of stroke patients. Although antidepressant drug treatment has improved during the last decades, symptoms in about 20% of the patients are not in remission two years after initiation of pharmacological intervention. Nowadays, non-invasive brain stimulation; techniques; transcranial direct current stimulation (tCDS) has gained an important interest in the treatment of many neuropsychiatric disorders which might be of some help in treatment of PSD. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the beneficial short term role of tDCS on post-stroke depression. Study Design: This was a randomized double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial included forty hemiparetic patients with post-stroke depression from outpatient clinic of Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, in the period between June 2018 to June 2019. All patients diagnosed as having a PSD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Depression was evaluated by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) pre and post treatment and quality of life was evaluated by the Stroke Specific Quality Of Life scale (SS-QOL). Patients were assigned randomly into two groups: the study group A and the control group B. Both groups received antidepressant medication in addition to physical therapy program. Group A received tCDS for 30 minutes, three times per week for one month, while the group B received sham transcranial direct current stimulation. Results: Active tDCS was significantly superior to sham with significant improvement in depression and Stroke Specific Quality Of Life in treated group in comparison to group B, p = 0.000. Conclusion: tDCS was effective for post- stroke depression and might be a favorable option for treating post-stroke patients.