Outcomes
depressed, Montgomery-Asberg Depression
SECONDARY
As the main objective of this pilot trial was to assess the effect of tDCS on HPAA activity in depressed participants by evaluating salivary cortisol levels, we defined our primary outcome as the detection of any changes in the DCP from the baseline to W3 in the tDCS group compared to the control group, including also changes in AUCg for salivary cortisol. Moreover, our secondary outcomes comprised changes in CAR and CD from baseline to W3, as well as changes in cortisol levels associated to stimulation between W0 and W2.We also examined any variations in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores throughout the trial period for both groups. Following the recommendation of previous studies