A recent clinical trial has shown that it's possible to safely and effectively treat depression at home using a brain stimulation device. That means patients can give themselves low-intensity impulses to see positive results – and potentially enjoy a higher quality of life.The study was led by researchers at King's College, London, the University of East London, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

最近的一项临床试验表明，使用大脑刺激装置在家中安全有效地治疗抑郁症是可能的。这意味着患者可以给自己低强度的冲动，以看到积极的结果，并可能享受更高的生活质量。这项研究由伦敦国王学院、东伦敦大学和休斯顿德克萨斯大学健康科学中心的研究人员领导。

It was funded by Flow Neuroscience, a Swedish company that makes a $500 (€459) brain stimulation headset that's designed to be used at home over 30-minute sessions while you do other things.The study aimed to prove the efficacy of a non-invasive technology called transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

它是由Flow Neuroscience资助的，Flow Neuroscience是一家瑞典公司，生产一款售价500美元（459欧元）的大脑刺激耳机，设计用于在家里进行30分钟的训练，同时你还可以做其他事情。。

A weak current (under 2 mA) is delivered to the scalp via two electrodes. These electrical impluses are directed toward the front area of your brain that regulates your mood, motivation, and sleep. People suffering from depression typically have lower activity in this portion of the brain. The idea behind tDCS is to gently stimulate that area, and reduce the symptoms of depression.

弱电（低于2 mA）通过两个电极传递到头皮。这些电刺激指向大脑的前部区域，调节你的情绪、动机和睡眠。患有抑郁症的人大脑这一部分的活动通常较低。。

Here's a visual overview of the tech from the folks at Flow..

下面是Flow公司员工对这项技术的视觉概述。。

What is tDCS

什么是tDCS

Testing tDCS' effectivenessFlow recommends using its device for treatment over a span of 10 weeks. That means five 30-minute sessions a week for the first three weeks, followed by three 30-minute sessions a week for the following seven weeks. The researchers followed this course for the study with 174 participants who had been diagnosed with severe to moderate depression.

测试tDCS的有效性流程（effectivenessFlow）建议使用其设备进行为期10周的治疗。这意味着前三周每周进行五次30分钟的训练，接下来的七周每周进行三次30分钟的训练。研究人员对174名被诊断患有重度至中度抑郁症的参与者进行了这项研究。

They were divided into two groups: one group used the headset with current (called the active arm), and the other used it without current (called the inactive placebo control arm)..

他们被分为两组：一组使用带电流的耳机（称为主动臂），另一组使用不带电流的耳机（称为非活动安慰剂对照臂）。。

You can buy the Flow headset to use at home for $500, or rent itFlow Neuroscience

你可以花500美元购买Flow耳机在家使用，也可以租用itFlow Neuroscience

The results in the paper, published last week in Nature Medicine, are promising. The active tDCS treatment arm recorded a significantly greater clinical response of 58.3%, compared to the control group (37.8%). The active treatment arm was also associated with a significantly greater remission rate of 44.9%, compared to only 21.8% in the control group.That gives Flow's headset and prescribed course of treatment more credibility.

上周发表在《自然医学》杂志上的这篇论文的结果令人鼓舞。与对照组（37.8%）相比，主动tDCS治疗组的临床反应显着更高，为58.3%。积极治疗组的缓解率也显着高于对照组的21.8%，为44.9%。这使Flow的耳机和规定的治疗过程更加可靠。

And it could potentially benefit many of the 280 million people who suffer from depression worldwide by providing an accessible alternative to the existing options of medication and therapy.'While a combination of antidepressants and therapy generally proves to be effective for many people, medication can have side-effects that some can find disruptive,” said Cynthia Fu, the study’s senior author and a professor at King’s College London.

它可能为全球2.8亿抑郁症患者中的许多人带来潜在的好处，因为它可以替代现有的药物和治疗选择。”该研究的资深作者、伦敦国王学院（King's College London）教授辛西娅·福（CynthiaFu）说：“虽然抗抑郁药和治疗的组合通常对许多人有效，但药物可能会产生副作用，有些人会发现这种副作用具有破坏性。”。

'Our study has demonstrated that tDCS is a potential first-line option that could help those in need.'.

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Flow recommends using its headset for an initial course of 10 weeks, with 30-minute sessionsFlow Neuroscience

Flow建议使用耳机进行为期10周的初始疗程，为期30分钟的课程Flow Neuroscience

The Flow headset itself has been on the market for a while now, and is even available to patients in the UK via the NHS. Studies have also shown the device to be safe for use for up to 12 months, which is important because users may experience a relapse of depression past the initial treatment period.Flow's headset is one of several brain stimulation devices that can be used to treat mental health conditions.

Flow耳机本身已经上市一段时间了，甚至可以通过NHS向英国患者提供。研究还表明，该设备可以安全使用长达12个月，这一点很重要，因为用户在最初的治疗期后可能会复发抑郁症。Flow的耳机是几种可用于治疗心理健康状况的大脑刺激设备之一。

We recently wrote about the Diadem from researchers at the University of Utah, which uses neuromodulation to treat pain and depression in a single 40-minute sitting. There's also a new headband from Australian firm Neurode that's designed to treat ADHD with 20 minutes of use a day.Source: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

我们最近写了犹他大学研究人员关于王冠的文章，该研究人员使用神经调节在40分钟的坐姿中治疗疼痛和抑郁症。澳大利亚Neurode公司也推出了一款新头带，用于治疗多动症，每天使用20分钟。资料来源：休斯顿德克萨斯大学健康科学中心。