{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T23:25:35Z","timestamp":1769124335368,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,26]],"date-time":"2025-06-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750896000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medical Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique for migraine prevention. This study evaluates the efficacy of tDCS compared to sham in preventing episodic migraine in adults. Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched until May 2025 to identify randomized controlled trials comparing tDCS with sham for the prevention of episodic migraine in adults. Risk of bias in the included trials was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool version 2. A random effect meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of cathodal and anodal tDCS on migraine frequency (days per month and attacks per month). Results: The meta-analysis included six trials with 172 participants (mean age 34 years, 82% females). Both cathodal (three studies, over the occipital area) and anodal (three studies, over the occipital or primary motor area) tDCS reduced the mean number of monthly migraine days and migraine attacks compared to sham. After pooling the outcomes and excluding two studies at high risk of bias, anodal tDCS over the occipital or primary motor area (standardized difference in means = \u22120.7, 95% CI: \u22121.7, 0.2, p = 0.124) and cathodal tDCS over the occipital area (standardized difference in means = \u22120.7, 95% CI: \u22121.1, \u22120.3, p = 0.000) reduced headache frequency compared to sham. However, the reduction with anodal tDCS was not statistically significant. Summary: tDCS may be effective in preventing episodic migraine. However, the evidence is limited by the small number of heterogeneous trials, with variation in electrode placement and stimulation intervals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medsci13030084","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]],"date-time":"2025-07-02T06:46:12Z","timestamp":1751438772000},"page":"84","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Episodic Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3912-5874","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Faraidoon","family":"Haghdoost","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdul","family":"Salam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia"},{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, Hyderabad 500034, India"},{"name":"Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fatemeh Zahra","family":"Seyed-Kolbadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Evidence Based Medicine Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 79196-93116, Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Deepika","family":"Padala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, Hyderabad 500034, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Candice","family":"Delcourt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2113, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anthony","family":"Rodgers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1186\/s10194-020-01208-0","article-title":"Migraine remains second among the world\u2019s causes of disability, and first among young women: Findings from GBD2019","volume":"21","author":"Steiner","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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