Effects of Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Therapy on Primary Chronic Insomnia: A Proof-of Concept Clinical Trial

Jin-Sun Jun, Tae-Joon Kim, Sun A Koo, Ji-Sook Park, Keun Tae Kim, Tae-Won Yang, Jung-Ah Lim, Jung-Ick Byun, Jun-Sang Sunwoo, Ki-Young Jung
2018 Journal of Sleep Medicine  
Objectives: To assess the effect and safety of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in primary chronic insomnia. Methods: A one-month, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial was performed. A total of 7 patients with primary chronic insomnia received tDCS using anodal (n=3), cathodal (n=2), or sham stimulation (n=2). They were followed up at 1 week and 1 month after treatment. The primary outcome measures included improvement in total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), and
more » ... leep efficiency (SE) at 1 month follow-up. Results: TST and SE were improved with tDCS at 1 month follow-up in all patients (100%) of the anodal group, one (50%) of the cathodal group, and one (50%) of the sham group. tDCS improved SL at 1 month follow-up in two patients (67%) of the anodal group, one (50%) of the cathodal group, and none (0%) of the sham group. With respect to adverse events, transient itching sensation occurred in one patient of the anodal group. None of the other groups reported adverse events. Conclusions: Our results suggest that tDCS may be effective and safe for treatment of primary chronic insomnia. A larger controlled study needs to be further investigated. J Sleep Med 2018;15(2):37-42 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
doi:10.13078/jsm.18002 fatcat:d2unpl3e45chbeaqpfxcu2wxeq