Zapping the brain to sharpen thinking in depressed seniors

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 60+ years * Diagnosis of a current or past (within last 3 years) depressive episode (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)) using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria * In total, participants must have 2 or more lifetime depressive episodes to be considered "recurrent" * Either stable antidepressant regimen for at least 6 weeks or no current antidepressant treatment * Evidence of subjective cognitive complaints on the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) * English fluency Exclusion criteria: * Other Axis I psychiatric conditions via the DSM-5, except for anxiety symptoms occurring in a depressive episode * Acute suicidality on clinical evaluation * Acute grief * History of alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder in last 12 months * Currently taking medications that would significantly interact with tDCS effects (such as sodium channel blockers or anticonvulsants) * Neurological disorders (e.g., dementia, stroke, seizures, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease) * Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score \< 23 * Primary amnestic cognitive profile (\>1.5 standard deviations (SDs) below demographically-adjusted mean on National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) memory measures in context of otherwise normal cognitive profile) * Any physical or intellectual disability affecting ability to complete assessments * Unstable medical illness needing urgent treatment * MRI contraindications * Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in last 2 months * Current involvement in psychotherapy * Current involvement in other research studies (including but not limited to: neuromodulation \[TMS or tDCS\] or investigational drug studies)