Depression Comorbid with Chronic Pain
Conditions
Interventions
Trial Group:Received high-definition tDCS targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)
Active control group:Received high-definition tDCS targeting the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
Sham group:Employed ramp-up/ramp-down current to mimic real stimulation and control for placebo effects.
Sponsors
Northwest Normal University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Diagnostic Criteria (1) Depression: Meets the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) according to DSM-5 or ICD-11 (confirmed by structured clinical interviews such as MINI or SCID); (2) Chronic Pain: Meets the definition of chronic pain by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) (duration >=3 months), with pain intensity >=4/10 (assessed using VAS or NRS). 2. Comorbidity Requirement Co-occurrence of depression and chronic pain (clinical association must be confirmed, e.g., pain exacerbates depressive symptoms or vice versa). 3. Demographic and Baseline Characteristics (1) Age 18–65 years (excluding adolescents and elderly populations to avoid confounding due to differences in neuroplasticity); (2) Right-handedness (to minimize confounding from cerebral functional lateralization); (3) Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score >=17 and Beck Pain Inventory (BPI) pain interference score >=5. 4. Treatment Stability No changes in antidepressant or analgesic regimens in the 4 weeks prior to enrollment (to avoid confounding effects of medication changes). 5. Other Criteria (1) Sufficient cognitive capacity to complete the study procedures (MMSE score >=26); (2) Written informed consent has been obtained.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Neurological Contraindications History of epilepsy, intracranial metallic implants, prior brain injury or stroke; other contraindications to transcranial electrical stimulation (e.g., scalp lesions, cardiac pacemakers). 2. Psychiatric Comorbidities Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance dependence (must be excluded by MINI); current suicide risk (C-SSRS >= 4 points). 3. Pain-Specific Exclusions Pain originating from malignancy or autoimmune diseases (high mechanistic heterogeneity); implanted spinal cord stimulators or other pain modulation devices. 4. Confounding Factors Pregnancy or lactation (hormonal effects on pain perception and mood); other significant somatic diseases (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes); receipt of other neuromodulation therapies within the past 6 months (e.g., rTMS, tDCS). 5. Compliance Exclusions Inability to comply with study procedures (e.g., MRI compatibility requirements); non-native speakers (to avoid measurement bias in scale assessments).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Medication use;Depressive Symptoms;Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain; | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change in the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ);Change in Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST);Change in EEG/fNIRS neurophysiological markers; | — |
Countries
China
Contacts
Public ContactDing Xiaobing
School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University
Outcome results
None listed