Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23457586›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2013

Is transcranial alternating current stimulation effective in modulating brain oscillations?

Debora Brignani, Manuela Ruzzoli, Piercarlo Mauri, Carlo Miniussi

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05085210 (Visual Restoration of Losses Caused by Cortical Damage), which is not on this map. Cited by 51 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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.

NCT05085210 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Visual Restoration of Losses Caused by Cortical Damage: a New Protocol to Promote Fast Recovery

TypeinterventionalSponsorBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterRan2022 to 2026Enrolled24ConditionsVisual Field Defect, Peripheral, Stroke, Visual Impairment, HemianopsiaArmstranscranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), Computer Based Visual Training, Sham stimulation, Virtual Reality Based Visual Training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 105 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroenhancement.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2022
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Tinnitus and Brain Stimulation.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2021
    Article
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  16. Review
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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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Debora BrignaniCognitive Neuroscience Section, IRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy. debora.brignani@cognitiveneuroscience.it
Manuela Ruzzoli
Piercarlo Mauri
Carlo Miniussi
Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli · ITPompeu Fabra University · ESUniversity of Brescia · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a promising tool for modulating brain oscillations, as well as a possible therapeutic intervention. However, the lack of conclusive evidence on whether tACS is able to effectively affect cortical activity continues to limit its application. The present study aims to address this issue by exploiting the well-known inhibitory alpha rhythm in the posterior parietal cortex during visual perception and attention orientation. Four groups of healthy volunteers were tested with a Gabor patch detection and discrimination task. All participants were tested at the baseline and selective frequencies of tACS, including Sham, 6 Hz, 10 Hz, and 25 Hz. Stimulation at 6 Hz and 10 Hz over the occipito-parietal area impaired performance in the detection task compared to the baseline. The lack of a retinotopically organised effect and marginal frequency-specificity modulation in the detection task force us to be cautious about the effectiveness of tACS in modulating brain oscillations. Therefore, the present study does not provide significant evidence for tACS reliably inducing direct modulations of brain oscillations that can influence performance in a visual task.

Indexed as

Electric StimulationSkullBrain WavesFemaleHumansMaleParietal LobeReaction TimeVisual CortexYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID23457586
PMCPMC3573000
OpenAlexW2066654742

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.