Trial reportClinical interventions in aging2017
Can we improve pain and sleep in elderly individuals with transcranial direct current stimulation? - Results from a randomized controlled pilot study.
Trial report in Clinical interventions in aging, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 7 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
19 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 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
- The effectiveness of non-pharmacological sleep interventions for people with chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Pooled it
- The Effects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation of the Brain on Sleep: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of TES and rTMS for the Treatment of Insomnia: Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Sham-Controlled Trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Age as a Mediator of tDCS Effects on Pain: An Integrative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2020Pooled 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
- Medial parietal alpha-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation for chronic insomnia: a randomized sham-controlled trial.Psychological medicine · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation in chronic pain and neurogenic claudication related to lumbar spinal stenosis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Trial
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tCDS) after subacromial injections in patients with subacromial pain syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Trial
- Efficacy of Home-Based Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Managing Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Older Adults With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.Integrative and complementary therapies · 2024Article
- Brain stimulation for chronic pain management: a narrative review of analgesic mechanisms and clinical evidence.Neurosurgical review · 2023Review
- Relieving Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Older Adults Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Effects on Pain Intensity, Quality, and Pain-Related Outcomes.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Neuropathic Pain in the Elderly.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Impact of Age on tDCS Effects on Pain Threshold and Working Memory: Results of a Proof of Concept Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2020Article
- Sleep Quality, Depression, and Quality of Life After Bilateral Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.Medical science monitor basic research · 2018Article
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Knee Osteoarthritis Pain in Elderly Subjects With Defective Endogenous Pain-Inhibitory Systems: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2018Article
- The Efficacy of Transcranial Current Stimulation Techniques to Modulate Resting-State EEG, to Affect Vigilance and to Promote Sleepiness.Brain sciences · 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
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prevalence of chronic pain and sleep disturbances substantially increases with age. Pharmacotherapy remains the primary treatment option for these health issues. However, side effects and drug interactions are difficult to control in elderly individuals.
aimsThe objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized sham-controlled trial and to collect preliminary data on the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to reduce pain and improve sleep in older adults suffering from chronic pain.
methodsFourteen elderly individuals (mean age 71±7 years) suffering from chronic pain and sleep complaints were randomized to receive either anodal tDCS, applied over the primary motor cortex (2 mA, 20 minutes), or sham tDCS, for 5 consecutive days. Pain was measured with visual analog scales, pain logbooks and questionnaires, while sleep was assessed with actigraphy, sleep diaries and questionnaires.
resultsThere were no missing data for pain and sleep measures, except for actigraphy, that generated several missing data. Blinding was maintained throughout the study, for both the evaluator and participants. Active but not sham tDCS significantly reduced pain (
conclusionThe present study provides guidelines for the implementation of future tDCS studies in larger populations of elderly individuals. M1 anodal tDCS in this population appears to be effective to reduce pain, but not to improve sleep.
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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.