Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) on Pain Intensity, Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Maryam  Sadeqpur; Firoozeh  Ghazanfari; Fatemeh  Rezaei

doi:10.18502/ssu.v32i12.17947

Maryam Sadeqpur Department of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
Firoozeh Ghazanfari Department of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
Fatemeh Rezaei Department of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ssu.v32i12.17947

Keywords: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), Intensity of pain, Anxiety and depression, Rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by joint synovitis and damage to the surrounding cartilage and soft tissues. In this study, it was assumed that stimulation of the prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has reduced pain intensity in the rheumatoid arthritis patients and improved anxiety and depression outcomes.

Methods: The current research was a semi-experimental design that involved a pre-test, post-test and a one-month follow-up with a control group The statistical population included all men and women diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis who referred to the Rheumatology Department of Tehran's Family and Shariati Hospitals in 2024. A total of thirty individuals were selected through available sampling and then randomly assigned to either the experimental and control groups. Anodal tDCS was applied to stimulate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), while cathodal tDCS was employed to inhibit the right DLPFC. Participants were assessed before-after and in the one-month follow-up period using the McGill Chronic Pain Index, and the Beck Depression and Anxiety Scale. Data analysis was conducted utilizing repeated measures analysis of variance and was performed with SPSS-16.

Results: The findings showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) significantly reduced pain and anxiety levels in both the post-test and one-month follow-up, with P-values less than 0.05. Regarding depression, the post-test results were also significant (p<0.05), but in the one-month follow-up, this effect was no longer significant (p>0.05). In contrast, the control group exhibited little variation across all three phases.

Conclusion: The results show that tDCS has a greater effect in reducing pain, anxiety and depression symptoms compared to placebo and is able to reduce inflammation and improve the quality of life of volunteers through prompt medical care and more compliance with treatment orders to reduce disease activity or even reach the recovery is complete.