ReviewThe journal of ECT2018
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation as a Therapeutic Tool for Chronic Pain.
Review in The journal of ECT, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 6 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 57 papers, 5 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.
Innovative Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in the Rehabilitation of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Aerobic Exercise for the Treatment of Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Toward Personalized Treatment of Chronic Pain Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Paired With Deep Learning
Evaluation of the Analgesic Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Sedated Patients in Intensive Care Unit.Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind Study.
Combining Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Yoga for Improved Pain Management for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot and Feasibility Trial
Evaluation of the Analgesic Effect of Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Pelvic Pain, Comparing Three Groups: Trans-spinal Stimulation, Ganglionic Stimulation, and Placebo. A Randomized Double-blind Study
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of non-invasive brain stimulation for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and non-pharmacological interventions targeting the nervous system: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effects and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation on multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of randomized clinical trials.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Non-invasive neuromodulation effects on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2020Pooled it
- Transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation (tES and TMS) for addiction medicine: A consensus paper on the present state of the science and the road ahead.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Individualized Physical Therapy on Pain and Function in Individuals With Chronic Knee Pain: A Pilot Study.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2026Trial
- Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation Combined with Physical Exercise in Patients with Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: Randomized Clinical Trial.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Independent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and social influence on pain.Pain · 2025Trial
- Modulation of central pain mechanisms using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation: A double-blind, sham-controlled study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2023Trial
- Investigation into the Effectiveness of Combining Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation as Treatment Options for Poststroke Shoulder Pain by Utilizing Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.Therapeutics and clinical risk management · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Self-administered transcranial direct current stimulation for pain in older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled study.Brain stimulationTrial
- [Non-invasive neuromodulation for chronic pain : A review of eight current methods and the evidence].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Review
- Does transcranial direct current stimulation enhance the hypoalgesic effect of exercise?Sports medicine and health science · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Review
- Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: A Single-Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Neuromodulation techniques in traumatic brain injury: a narrative review of the current state.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2025Review
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 at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates spontaneous neuronal activity that can generate long-term neuroplastic changes. It has been used in numerous therapeutic trials showing significant clinical effects especially when combined with other behavioral therapies. One area of intensive tDCS research is chronic pain. Since the initial tDCS trials for chronic pain treatment using current parameters of stimulation, more than 60 clinical trials have been published testing its effects in different pain syndromes. However, as the field moves in the direction of clinical application, several aspects need to be taken into consideration regarding tDCS effectiveness and parameters of stimulation. In this article, we reviewed the evidence of tDCS effects for the treatment of chronic pain and critically analyzed the literature pertaining its safety and efficacy, and how to optimize tDCS clinical effects in a therapeutic setting. We discuss optimization of tDCS effects in 3 different domains: (i) parameters of stimulation, (ii) combination therapies, and (iii) subject selection. This article aims to provide insights for the development of future tDCS clinical trials.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.