Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26842987›Full record

ArticleArthritis research & therapy2016

Changes in resting state functional connectivity after repetitive transcranial direct current stimulation applied to motor cortex in fibromyalgia patients.

Chelsea M Cummiford, Thiago D Nascimento, Bradley R Foerster, Daniel J Clauw, Jon-Kar Zubieta, Richard E Harris, Alexandre F DaSilva

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
77citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
6.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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

77 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Brain modulatory effects of rehabilitation interventions in fibromyalgia: a systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Pooled it
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  5. 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 · 2024
    Pooled it
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  8. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for chronic pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  9. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for chronic pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  10. Trial
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  12. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Signal Variability Is Associated With Neuromodulation in Fibromyalgia.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2023
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17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Chelsea M CummifordNeuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. chelsmar@umich.edu.
Thiago D NascimentoHeadache & Orofacial Pain Effort (H.O.P.E.) Lab, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. nasci@umich.edu.
Bradley R FoersterAnn Arbor VA Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. compfun@umich.edu.
Daniel J ClauwChronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. dclauw@med.umich.edu.
Jon-Kar ZubietaUniversity Neuropsychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. zubieta@umich.edu.
Richard E HarrisNeuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. reharris@med.umich.edu.
Alexandre F DaSilvaHeadache & Orofacial Pain Effort (H.O.P.E.) Lab, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. adasilva@umich.edu.
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor · USUniversity of Utah · USVA Ann Arbor Healthcare System · US

Funding

Investigation and Modulation of the Central Mu-Opioid Mechanism in Migraine (in vivo)R01NS094413 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI ALEXANDRE DASILVA · 2015 to 2026
$4.3M
Neuroimaging Approaches to Deconstructing Acupuncuture for Chronic PainR01AT007550 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI HARRIS, RICHARD E, NAPADOW, VITALY · 2013 to 2019
$3.4M
Early Stage Training in the NeurosciencesT32NS076401 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Carol Fuzeti Elias, LESLIE S. SATIN · 2011 to 2026
$3.1M
Brain as a Research and Therapeutic Target in Chronic TMDR56DE022637 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI DASILVA, ALEXANDRE · 2013 to 2014
$773k
NCCIH NIH HHS R01 AT007550NIDCR NIH HHS R56 DE022637NIDCR NIH HHS R56 DE022637-01NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS094413NINDS NIH HHS T32 NS076401
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic, centralized pain condition characterized by alterations in the functional, chemical, and structural brain networks responsible for sensory and mood processing. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a potential treatment for FM. tDCS can alter functional connectivity (FC) in brain regions underneath and distant to the stimulating electrode, although the analgesic mechanisms of repetitive tDCS remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate how a clinically relevant schedule of tDCS sessions alters resting state FC and how these changes might relate to clinical pain.

methodsResting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 12 patients with FM at baseline, after 5 days of sham treatment, and after 5 days of real tDCS with the anode over the left primary motor cortex (M1) and the cathode over the right supraorbital cortex. Seed to whole-brain FC analyses were performed with seed regions placed in bilateral M1, primary somatosensory cortices (S1), ventral lateral (VL) and ventral posterolateral (VPL) thalami, and periaqueductal gray (PAG).

resultsStronger baseline FC between M1-VL thalamus, S1-anterior insula, and VL thalamus-PAG predicted greater analgesia after sham and real tDCS. Sham treatment (compared with baseline) reduced FC between the VPL thalamus, S1, and the amygdala. Real tDCS (compared with sham treatment) reduced FC between the VL thalamus, medial prefrontal, and supplementary motor cortices. Interestingly, decreased FC between the VL/VPL thalamus and posterior insula, M1, and S1 correlated with reductions in clinical pain after both sham and active treatments.

conclusionsThese results suggest that while there may be a placebo response common to both sham and real tDCS, repetitive M1 tDCS causes distinct changes in FC that last beyond the stimulation period and may produce analgesia by altering thalamic connectivity.

Indexed as

Magnetic Resonance ImagingAdultCross-Over StudiesFemaleFibromyalgiaHumansMiddle AgedMotor CortexNerve NetPain MeasurementRestTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation

Identifiers

PMID26842987
PMCPMC4741001
OpenAlexW2269073872

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.