Trial reportThe journal of ECT2015
Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of chronic widespread pain: a randomized controlled study.
Trial report in The journal of ECT, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03984201 (Accelerated Theta Burst in Chronic Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Accelerated Theta Burst in Chronic Pain: A Biomarker Study
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brain stimulation targets for chronic pain: Insights from meta-analysis, functional connectivity and literature review.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2024Pooled it
- Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for chronic pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for chronic pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Core Symptoms of Chronic Primary Pain: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Controllable Pulse Parameter Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Control Study.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on the Symptoms and Brain Imaging in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Fibromyalgia: Exploring the Necessity of Neuronavigation for Targeting New Brain Regions.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Review
- Impact of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cognitive and Psychiatric Dysfunction in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Clinical Trial.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Cortical stimulation for chronic pain: from anecdote to evidence.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2022Review
- Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- The effectiveness and safety of electrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia.Rheumatology international · 2020Review
- New Developments in Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Chronic Pain.Current physical medicine and rehabilitation reports · 2020Article
- Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Pain Management: A Systematic Narrative Review.Frontiers in neurology · 2020Review
- Noninvasive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in Chronic Refractory Pain: A Systematic Review.Cureus · 2019Review
- Review
- An Update on Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Co-morbid Pain and Depressive Symptoms.Current pain and headache reports · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveOur objective was to assess transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of chronic widespread pain.
methodsNineteen participants were randomized into 2 groups: one group receiving active TMS (n = 7) and another group receiving sham stimulation (n = 11) applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. During sham stimulation, subjects heard a sound similar to the sound heard by those receiving the active treatment and received an active electrical stimulus to the scalp. The stimulation protocol consisted of 15 sessions completed within a 4-week period. Blind assessments were done at baseline and after each 5 sessions followed by blind assessments at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the last TMS sessions. The primary outcome variable was a pain measure, the Gracely Box Intensity Scale (BIRS).
resultsThe percentage of subjects who guessed that they were receiving TMS was similar in the 2 groups. Both the TMS group and the sham group showed a statistically significant reduction in the BIRS scores from baseline during the acute phase of treatment and the follow-up phase. However, the TMS and sham groups did not differ in the change in the BIRS scores. DISCUSSION: Although some previous clinical studies and basic science studies of TMS in treating pain are promising, this study found no difference in the analgesic effect of TMS and sham stimulation. Future studies should use a sham condition that attempts to simulate the sound and sensation of the TMS stimulation. Stimulus location and other stimulus parameters should be explored in future studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.