SynthesisSchizophrenia bulletin2016
Placebo Response in Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Trials of Treatment of Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Placebo effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on negative symptoms and cognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Statistical power estimation in non-invasive brain stimulation studies and its clinical implications: An exploratory study of the meta-analyses.Asian journal of psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Repetitive Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Modulate Cognitive Functions in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review of Primary and Secondary Outcomes.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2016Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation associated with physical exercise can help smokers to quit smoking: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Early efficacy of rTMS intervention at week 2 predicts subsequent responses at week 24 in schizophrenia in a randomized controlled trial.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2024Trial
- Intermittent theta burst stimulation of cerebellar vermis enhances fronto-cerebellar resting state functional connectivity in schizophrenia with predominant negative symptoms: A randomized controlled trial.Schizophrenia research · 2021Trial
- Pre-supplementary motor network connectivity and clinical outcome of magnetic stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder.Human brain mapping · 2021Trial
- Comparison of two tDCS protocols on pain and EEG alpha-2 oscillations in women with fibromyalgia.Scientific reports · 2020Trial
- Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on the number of smoked cigarettes in tobacco smokers.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Effects of repeated transcranial direct current stimulation on smoking, craving and brain reactivity to smoking cues.Scientific reports · 2018Trial
- High-Frequency Neuronavigated rTMS in Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: A Pilot Double-Blind Controlled Study in Patients With Schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2018Trial
- Cognitive Effects of High-Frequency rTMS in Schizophrenia Patients With Predominant Negative Symptoms: Results From a Multicenter Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2016Trial
- Assessing the efficacy and safety of rTMS, tDCS, and DBS in treating auditory hallucinations: a scoping review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Non-invasive brain stimulation for treatment-resistant schizophrenia: protocol of a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2024Article
- Treating refractory obsessive compulsive disorder with cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the supplementary motor area: a large multisite randomized sham-controlled double-blind study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Betting on Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to Treat Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- The alternations of nucleus accumbent in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations during low-frequency rTMS treatment.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Accelerated Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Smoking Cessation: Placebo Effects Equal to Active Stimulation When Using Advanced Placebo Coil Technology.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- The Role of Expectation and Beliefs on the Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- Neurological Soft Signs Predict Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Patients With Schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Several meta-analyses have assessed the response of patients with schizophrenia with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) to treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS); however, the placebo response has never been explored. Typically observed in a therapeutic trial, the placebo effect may have a major influence on the effectiveness of rTMS. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the magnitude of the placebo effect observed in controlled studies of rTMS treatment of AVH, and to determine factors that can impact the magnitude of this placebo effect, such as study design considerations and the type of sham used.The study included twenty-one articles concerning 303 patients treated by sham rTMS. A meta-analytic method was applied to obtain a combined, weighted effect size, Hedges's g. The mean weighted effect size of the placebo effect across these 21 studies was 0.29 (P < .001). Comparison of the parallel and crossover studies revealed distinct results for each study design; placebo has a significant effect size in the 13 parallel studies (g = 0.44, P < 10(-4)), but not in the 8 crossover studies (g = 0.06, P = .52). In meta-analysis of the 13 parallel studies, the 45° position coil showed the highest effect size. Our results demonstrate that placebo effect should be considered a major source of bias in the assessment of rTMS efficacy. These results fundamentally inform the design of further controlled studies, particularly with respect to studies of rTMS treatment in psychiatry.
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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.