Home-based brain stimulation could be a safe and effective non-pharmacological alternative for treating inattention in adults with ADHD, a small randomised clinical trial shows.

Brazilian researchers say at-home transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could also benefit patients who may struggle with daily visits to clinics or hospitals.

Writing in JAMA Psychiatry, the investigators reported findings from their sham-controlled trial involving 64 participants with ADHD (mean age 38), who were not taking stimulant medication, to assess the safety and efficacy of the home-based approach.

Patients were assigned to 30-minute daily sessions of tDCS — 2mA anodal-right and cathodal-left prefrontal stimulation with 35cm² carbon electrodes — for four weeks, or sham treatment.