Page 7 - JCBP-3-3

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

REVIEW ARTICLE
Advances in non-invasive neuromodulation

techniques for geriatric depression:
A comprehensive review

Guanqiao Song 1,2,3† , Yihan Wu , Huili Xing , Ronglian Zheng , Yining Kou ,
4†
5†
4†
5†
5,6
Chenchen Zhang 2,3† , Meng Zhang * , and Kun Li 1,2,3 *
1 Department of Applied Psychology, School of Psychology, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
2 Department of Physical Therapy, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining, Shandong, China
3 Jining Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Jining, Shandong, China
4 School of Nursing, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
5 Department of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
6 Mental Illness and Cognitive Neuroscience Key Laboratory of Xinxiang (Xinxiang Medical
University), Xinxiang, Henan, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology)

Abstract
† These authors contributed equally
to this work. The gradual aging of the global population is increasing the prevalence of
*Corresponding authors: geriatric depression, a severe mental disorder that imposes a significant burden
Meng Zhang on individuals and society. Conventional treatments such as pharmacotherapy and
(mengzhang@xxmu.edu.cn)
Kun Li psychotherapy, given their considerable side effects and slow onset of action, are
(likunyjs@mail.jnmc.edu.cn) challenging to implement in the older population. This highlights the need for new,
safer, and more effective approaches for treating depression. In recent years, non-
Citation: Song G, Wu Y, Xing H,
et al. Advances in non-invasive invasive neurostimulation techniques have shown significant advantages in treating
neuromodulation techniques depression, offering new options for addressing late-life depression. This review
for geriatric depression: summarizes the research progress in the use of non-invasive neurostimulation
A comprehensive review. J Clin
Basic Psychosom. 2025;3(3):1-15. methods such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.5019 stimulation (rTMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), bright light
Received: October 1, 2024 therapy (BLT), transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), music therapy, and
transcranial ultrasonography for treating depression. Evidence indicates that ECT is
1st revised: November 25, 2024
crucial in rapidly combating depression. rTMS and tDCS not only alleviate depressive
2nd revised: December 1, 2024 symptoms but also improve cognitive function. Given their low-risk profile, BLT
Accepted: December 9, 2024 and tVNS may have specific therapeutic effects on alleviating chronic depression.
Although music therapy and transcranial ultrasonography show potential value
Published online: January 7, 2025
in treating depression, further evidence is needed from mechanistic and clinical
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). studies for appropriate evaluation. This review comprehensively evaluates the
This is an Open-Access article characteristics of various non-invasive neurostimulation techniques in treating
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution late-life depression and suggests that future research should involve large-sample,
License, permitting distribution, multicenter collaborative clinical studies to provide scientific guidance for using
and reproduction in any medium, neurostimulation techniques in treating late-life depression.
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Keywords: Geriatric depression; Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques;
Publishing remains neutral with Electroconvulsive therapy; Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transcranial
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional electrical stimulation
affiliations.

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.5019