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OCD, Anxiety Disorders, and PTSD

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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders

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Abstract

According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma-related disorders are now categorized as separate psychiatric conditions. However, they share common clinical features for which similar treatment strategies are applied. Due to a high prevalence of these disorders and their high rate of treatment resistance, the investigation of new interventions to include in their treatment algorithms is paramount. In OCD, neuroimaging findings of cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical circuit hyperactivity and the evidence of clinical effectiveness of low-frequency TMS suggest that the application of cathodal tDCS to the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) could induce positive results, as pointed out by some preliminary results. In healthy subjects and in one patient with GAD, tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has shown promising results in modulating attention to threat and symptoms of anxiety, respectively. In PTSD, the combination of a computerized working memory training with tDCS over DLPFC was reported to revert some cognitive, emotional and neurophysiological abnormalities; moreover, based upon fear extinction models, the combination of exposure therapy and tDCS might also be applied in this disorder. Ultimately, despite the intriguing rationale and some encouraging results, tDCS for OCD, GAD, and PTSD must be considered still in its infancy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Anesthesiology and Pharmachoutilization, University Hospital of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, Naples, 80131, Italy

    Giordano D’Urso M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Residency Program in Psychiatry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Teresa Sassi M.D.

  3. Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Andrea de Bartolomeis M.D., Ph.D.

  4. Department of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Antonio Mantovani

  5. Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Antonio Mantovani

Authors
  1. Giordano D’Urso M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Teresa Sassi M.D.
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  3. Andrea de Bartolomeis M.D., Ph.D.
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  4. Antonio Mantovani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giordano D’Urso M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Neuromodulation Department and Institute of Psychiatry Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), University Hospital and Service of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    André Brunoni

  2. Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environments and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany

    Michael Nitsche

  3. School of Psychiatry Black Dog Institute & St George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Colleen Loo

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D’Urso, G., Sassi, T., de Bartolomeis, A., Mantovani, A. (2016). OCD, Anxiety Disorders, and PTSD. In: Brunoni, A., Nitsche, M., Loo, C. (eds) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33967-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33967-2_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33967-2

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