SynthesisCurrent neuropharmacology2019
Brain Stimulation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Current neuropharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 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
66 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review of targets, targeting methods, lesion geometry, and clinical outcomes.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Optimizing non-invasive brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review of protocol heterogeneity, personalized targets, and adjunctive efficacy.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of low-frequency, non-navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Invasive and Non-invasive Neurostimulation for OCD.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2021Pooled it
- Treating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder with Neuromodulation Therapies: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, and Deep Brain Stimulation.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2020Pooled it
- The effect of acupoint stimulation as an adjuvant therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Linking electric field directionality to treatment outcome in OCD: Insights from patient-specific tDCS modeling.Translational psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Trial
- A single-blind, randomized controlled trial of transcranial direct current stimulation in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder as early augmentation.CNS spectrums · 2025Trial
- Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.Addiction biology · 2025Trial
- Continuous theta burst stimulation over the bilateral supplementary motor area in obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment: A clinical randomized single-blind sham-controlled trial.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2022Trial
- Non-invasive brain stimulation modulates neural correlates of performance monitoring in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2022Trial
- Efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation as an add-on treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized, sham-controlled trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Advancements in the Assessment and Treatment of Pediatric OCD.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- Neurofeedback interventions for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: Current evidence and future directions.Journal of psychiatric research · 2026Review
- Multimodal network localization of brain abnormalities and neuromodulation target identification in obsessive-compulsive disorder.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Combined tDCS and Neuropsychological Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Single-Case Feasibility Study on Cognitive and Emotional Outcomes.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: advances for psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: protocol for an open-label pilot study.BJPsych open · 2025Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a highly prevalent, severe, and chronic disease. There is a need for alternative strategies for treatment-resistant OCD.
objectiveThis review aims to assess the effect of brain stimulation techniques in OCD.
methodsWe included papers published in peer-reviewed journals dealing with brain stimulation techniques in OCD. We conducted treatment-specific searches for OCD (Technique AND ((randomized OR randomised) AND control* AND trial) AND (magnetic AND stimulation OR (rTMS OR dTMS)) AND (obsess* OR compuls* OR OCD)) on six databases, i.e., PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science to identify randomised controlled trials and ClinicalTrials.gov for possible additional results.
resultsDifferent add-on stimulation techniques could be effective for severely ill OCD patients unresponsive to drugs and/or behavioural therapy. Most evidence regarded deep brain stimulation (DBS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), while there is less evidence regarding transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), electroconvulsive therapy, and vagus nerve stimulation (for these last two there are no sham-controlled studies). Low-frequency TMS may be more effective over the supplementary motor area or the orbitofrontal cortex. DBS showed best results when targeting the crossroad between the nucleus accumbens and the ventral capsule or the subthalamic nucleus. Cathodal tDCS may be better than anodal in treating OCD. Limitations. We had to include methodologically inconsistent underpowered studies.
conclusionDifferent brain stimulation techniques are promising as an add-on treatment of refractory OCD, although studies frequently reported inconsistent results. TMS, DBS, and tDCS could possibly find some use with adequate testing, but their standard methodology still needs to be established.
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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.