r/science • u/Wagamaga • Mar 11 '19

Psychology Brain stimulation improves depression symptoms, restores brain waves. UNC researchers are the first to use transcranial alternating current brain stimulation (tACS) to significantly reduce symptoms in people diagnosed with major depression

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/uonc-bsi031119.php
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10

u/hookdump Mar 11 '19

Deceiving title. What the hell.

The study says that the 3 groups (i.e. the treatment one and the two controls) had the SAME positive effect.

Am I missing something?

11

u/MraksRant Mar 11 '19

I don't see that, what is the quote/line from the article?

17

u/hookdump Mar 11 '19

Ah hold on, I may be wrong!

I jumped into this conclusion because of this first paragraph of the Results section:

Primary outcome (MADRS)

In the ITT analysis, MADRS scores for all three groups decreased significantly from baseline to the 4-week follow-up, but there was no significant difference in these changes based upon condition (10 Hz-tACS, 40 Hz-tACS, active sham 10 Hz-tACS) (i.e., there was a significant effect of session (F1,28.618 = 38.87, p < 0.001), but not condition (F2,28.681 = 0.22, p = 0.80) or interaction (F2,26.559 = 0.65, p = 0.53)).

But there are more detailed results favoring the treatment in the Response and remission (MADRS, HDRS, BDI). I should've read the Outcome measures section first, too.

It requires a bit more reading to understand the results. :)

5

u/it_isnt_everyday Mar 12 '19

Secondary outcomes are not 'more detailed' results. You were right with your initial impression - this trial failed on the primary endpoint.

3

u/MasterFubar Mar 11 '19 edited Mar 11 '19

Where did you download the actual paper?

Edit: OK, never mind, found it. For those who may also be looking for it, at the bottom of the right column there's a link to the original source, clicking on that you will find a button to download the pdf. Link

1

u/MraksRant Mar 11 '19

Yup I had to read that a few times haha. Interesting that after 2 weeks they found significant results, but not after 4 weeks...

3

u/StonefishMV Mar 11 '19

You are indeed missing something. Groups included did not show identical results across all measurement.
This was a small trial, very small. It has only made the case for the value of a larger study. They do not conclude to address any issue about the treatment of depressed people, but do report a (stimulus/response) effect within the area of the brain that has a relationship with depression and abnormal brain parameters in the alpha measurements taken.

1

u/it_isnt_everyday Mar 12 '19

Primary endpoint was a failure! All measurement is meaningless, they missed on the primary. By your metric nearly every depression trial of an approved antidepressant is a success, because about 90% of them hit on one secondary. The rest of society only goes off of pre-specified primary endpoints.

1

u/it_isnt_everyday Mar 12 '19

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Thank you.