Treating and managing clinical depression would be much easier if the disease was the same for all people, but that’s not the case. Pharmacological treatment too often requires multiple trials to determine the best medication for the individual patient, a process that can take many months and too often involves unpleasant or severe side effects. Sweden-based Flow Neuroscience recently announced a clinical pilot study to evaluate patient response to Flow, the company’s Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) headset, when used in conjunction with a behavioral therapy app.
We first wrote about Flow in late 2018, before the product launch in Europe. When the company launched Flow in June 2019, it also cited two studies that showed mixed but hopeful results of tDCS treatment compared to pharmacological and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Flow is approved for at-home treatment for depression as a Class IIa device in Europe, according to the company.
Brain stimulation researcher, Dr Andre Brunoni, associate professor of psychiatry at the University Hospital of Sao Paulo, Brazi will lead the pilot study. The pilot study will examine the results of the Flow therapy app, which is available for free on Android and iOS, with the Flow headset. Flow Neuroscience created the Flow app in partnership with psychology and psychiatry clinics in London’s Harley Street.
We look forward to reading the results of the Sao Paulo study and will report back when it’s available.
