Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29730846›Full record

SynthesisNeuropsychology review2018

The Effects of rTMS on Impulsivity in Normal Adults: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cheng-Chang Yang, Birgit Völlm, Najat Khalifa

Open access · greenAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neuropsychology review, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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

22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Article
  7. rTMS Therapy for Eating Disorders: Scoping Review on Efficacy, Safety, Stimulation Parameters and Study Subjects.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026
    Review
  8. Understanding the emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescence from a brain and behavioral developmental perspective.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  9. Brain-Behavior Relationships: Neural Mechanisms of Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Cognitive and behavioral neurology : official journal of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology · 2025
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
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  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Which came first: Cannabis use or deficits in impulse control?Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2021
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
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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

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Cheng-Chang YangDivision of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. cheng-chang.yang@nottingham.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3538-3430
Birgit VöllmDivision of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Najat KhalifaDivision of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
University of Nottingham · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct that is regarded as a symptom of many psychiatric disorders. Harm resulting from impulsive behaviour can be substantial for the individuals concerned, for their social network, and for wider society. Therefore, the importance of developing therapeutic interventions to target impulsivity is paramount. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature from AMED, Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO databases on the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in healthy adults to modulate different subdomains (motor, temporal and reflection) of impulsivity. The results indicated that rTMS has distinct effects on different impulsivity subdomains. It has a significant, albeit small, effect on modulating motor impulsivity (g = 0.30, 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.43, p < .001) and a moderate effect on temporal impulsivity (g = 0.59, 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.86, p < .001). Subgroup analyses (e.g., excitatory vs. inhibitory rTMS, conventional rTMS vs. theta burst stimulation, analyses by stimulation sites, and type of outcome measure used) identified key parameters associated with the effects of rTMS on motor and temporal impulsivity. Age, sex, stimulation intensity and the number of pulses were not significant moderators for effects of rTMS on motor impulsivity. Due to lack of sufficient data to inform a meta-analysis, it has not been possible to assess the effects of rTMS on reflection impulsivity. The present findings provide preliminary evidence that rTMS can be used to modulate motor and temporal impulsivity in healthy individuals. Further studies are required to extend the use of rTMS to modulate impulsivity in those at most risk of engaging in harmful behaviour as a result of impulsivity, such as patients with offending histories and those with a history of self-harming behaviour.

Indexed as

Impulsive BehaviorTranscranial Magnetic StimulationBrainHumansBrain stimulationDelay discountingImpulsivityResponse inhibitionTheta burst stimulationTMS

Identifiers

PMID29730846
OpenAlexW2801295524

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.