Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20956792›Full record

Trial reportNeurology2010

Transcranial magnetic brain stimulation modulates blepharospasm: a randomized controlled study.

G Kranz, E A Shamim, P T Lin, G S Kranz, M Hallett

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Neurology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Safety and recommendations for TMS use in healthy subjects and patient populations, with updates on training, ethical and regulatory issues: Expert Guidelines.Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2021
    Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Lack of Target Engagement Following Low-Frequency Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Anterior Insula.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2019
    Trial
  4. Long-term depression-like plasticity of the blink reflex for the treatment of blepharospasm.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2013
    Trial
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Transcranial alternating current stimulation can modulate the blink reflex excitability. Effects of a 10- and 20-Hz tACS session on the blink reflex recovery cycle in healthy subjects.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Treatment of Dystonia: Medications, Neurotoxins, Neuromodulation, and Rehabilitation.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2020
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

G KranzHuman Motor Control Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. gottfried.kranz@meduniwien.ac.at
E A Shamim
P T Lin
G S Kranz
M Hallett
National Institutes of Health · US

Funding

Therapy of Movement DisordersZIANS003032 · NINDS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE · PI HALLETT, MARK · 2009 to 2023
$3.7M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBenign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is a common form of focal dystonia. Besides pathology in the basal ganglia, accumulating evidence suggests pathologic changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

methodsThis is a randomized, sham-controlled, observer-blinded prospective study. In 12 patients with BEB, we evaluated the effects of a 15-minute session of low-frequency (0.2 Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the ACC with stimulation intensities at 100% active motor threshold with 3 stimulation coils: a conventional circular coil (C-coil), a sham coil (S-coil), and a Hesed coil (H-coil, which allows stimulation of deeper brain regions. Primary outcome was the clinical effects on BEB (blink rate, number of spasms rated by a blinded physician and patient rating before, immediately after, and 1 hour after stimulation); secondary outcome was the blink reflex recovery curve.

resultsSubjective stimulation comfort was similar for each coil with no stimulation-associated adverse events. Stimulation with the H- and C-coils resulted in a significant improvement in all 3 outcome measures and was still detectable in physician rating and patient rating 1 hour after stimulation. S-coil stimulation had no effects. The active motor threshold was significantly lower for the H-coil compared to the other 2 coils.

conclusionsrTMS could be used as a therapeutic tool in BEB. Further studies will be necessary to show whether repeated stimulation applications result in lasting clinical effects. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that for patients with BEB, H- and C-coil rTMS is safe and improves clinical symptoms of BEB immediately and 1 hour after stimulation.

Indexed as

AgedBiophysicsBlepharospasmBlinkingElectric StimulationFemaleGyrus CinguliHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSingle-Blind MethodTranscranial Magnetic StimulationTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID20956792
PMCPMC3039207
OpenAlexW2052345579

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.