Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28273933›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2017

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex modulates attention and pain in fibromyalgia: randomized clinical trial.

Adriana Ferreira Silva, Maxciel Zortea, Sandra Carvalho, Jorge Leite, Iraci Lucena da Silva Torres, Felipe Fregni, Wolnei Caumo

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03843203 (Efficacy and Effectivity of Long Term Home Based tDCS in Fibromyalgia), which is not on this map. Cited by 52 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT03843203 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2018, after this paper: background citation

Efficacy and Effectivity of Long Term Home Based tDCS in Fibromyalgia: an Explanatory Randomized Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorHospital de Clinicas de Porto AlegreRan2018 to 2021Enrolled84ConditionsFibromyalgia, Transcranial Direct Current StimulationArmsTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation - tDCS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

52 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. 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
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Chronic Pain and Cognitive Dysfunction: Clinical Implement, Mechanism, and Therapeutic Strategy.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Therapeutic approach to fibromyalgia: a consensus statement on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment from the neuropathic pain special interest group of the Italian neurological society.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    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

7 authors.

Adriana Ferreira SilvaPost Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Maxciel ZorteaPost Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Sandra CarvalhoSpaulding Center of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Jorge LeiteSpaulding Center of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0323-9012
Iraci Lucena da Silva TorresPost Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Felipe FregniSpaulding Center of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Wolnei CaumoPost Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. caumo@cpovo.net.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients has been reported, especially when increased attentional demands are required. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been effective in modulating attention. We tested the effects of a single session of tDCS coupled with a Go/No-go task in modulating three distinct attentional networks: alertness, orienting and executive control. Secondarily, the effect on pain measures was evaluated. Forty females with fibromyalgia were randomized to receive active or sham tDCS. Anodal stimulation (1 mA, 20 min) was applied over the DLPFC. Attention indices were assessed using the Attention Network Test (ANT). Heat pain threshold (HPTh) and tolerance (HPTo) were measured. Active compared to sham tDCS led to increased performance in the orienting (mean difference [MD] = 14.63) and executive (MD = 21.00) attention networks. There was no effect on alertness. Active tDCS increased HPTh as compared to sham (MD = 1.93) and HPTo (MD = 1.52). Regression analysis showed the effect on executive attention is mostly independent of the effect on pain. DLPFC may be an important target for neurostimulation therapies in addition to the primary motor cortex for patients who do not respond adequately to neurostimulation therapies.

Indexed as

AttentionTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdolescentAdultAgedExecutive FunctionFemaleFibromyalgiaHumansMiddle AgedPainPain ManagementPain ThresholdPrefrontal CortexPsychomotor PerformanceYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID28273933
PMCPMC5427889

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.