Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33115936›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2021

Cognitive effects and acceptability of non-invasive brain stimulation on Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a component network meta-analysis.

Che-Sheng Chu, Cheng-Ta Li, Andre R Brunoni, Fu-Chi Yang, Ping-Tao Tseng, Yu-Kang Tu, Brendon Stubbs, André F Carvalho, Trevor Thompson, Tarek K Rajji and 8 more

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · bronzeAbstract readComparative StudyNetwork Meta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 87 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
87citing papers in PubMed, 18 pooled it
7.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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.

NCT05723172 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

40Hz tACS in Treating Cognitive Function and Modulating Neurophysiology of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease: a Triple Blind Randomized Sham-controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorChe-Sheng ChuRan2023 to 2025Enrolled48ConditionsAlzheimer DiseaseArmsactive tACS, sham tACS
NCT06482749 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Impact of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Postoperative Neurocognitive Recovery in Older Patients With Preoperative Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-blinded, Sham-controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorPeking University First HospitalRan2025 to 2029Enrolled568ConditionsOlder Patients, Cognitive Impairment, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Delayed Neurocognitive RecoveryArmsRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, Sham stimulation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

87 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Patients with Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Systematic Review and Updated Meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
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27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

18 authors at 12 institutions in 9 countries.

Che-Sheng Chu *Department of Psychiatry and Center for Geriatric and Gerontology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Cheng-Ta Li *Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Andre R BrunoniService of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation (SIN), Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), and National Institute of Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry (INBioN), Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
Fu-Chi YangDepartment of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ping-Tao TsengWinShine Clinics in Specialty of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-5761-7800
Yu-Kang TuInstitute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Brendon StubbsDepartment of Physiotherapy, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
André F CarvalhoDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Trevor ThompsonSchool of Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, UK.
Tarek K RajjiDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ta-Chuan YehDepartment of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, Schoool of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Kuang TsaiDepartment of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tien-Yu ChenDepartment of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dian-Jeng LiGraduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Chih-Wei HsuDepartment of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yi-Cheng WuDepartment of Sports Medicine, Landseed International Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chia-Ling YuDepartment of Pharmacy, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
Chih-Sung LiangDepartment of Psychiatry, Beitou Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan lcsyfw@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0003-1138-5586
Tri-Service General Hospital · TWCentre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAKaohsiung Medical University · TWChang Gung University · TWKing's College London · GBLandseed Hospital · TWMemorial Hospital of South Bend · USNational Taiwan University · TWNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWTri-Service General Hospital Beitou Branch · TWUniversidade de São Paulo · BRUniversity of Greenwich · GB

Funding

Department of Health ICA-CL-2017-03-001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo compare cognitive effects and acceptability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to determine whether cognitive training (CT) during rTMS or tDCS provides additional benefits.

methodsElectronic search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library and PsycINFO up to 5 March 2020. We enrolled double-blind, randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcomes were acceptability and pre-post treatment changes in general cognition measured by Mini-Mental State Examination, and the secondary outcomes were memory function, verbal fluency, working memory and executive function. Durability of cognitive benefits (1, 2 and ≥3 months) after brain stimulation was examined.

resultsWe included 27 RCTs (n=1070), and the treatment components included high-frequency rTMS (HFrTMS) and low-frequency rTMS, anodal tDCS (atDCS) and cathodal tDCS (ctDCS), CT, sham CT and sham brain stimulation. Risk of bias of evidence in each domain was low (range: 0%-11.1%). HFrTMS (1.08, 9, 0.35-1.80) and atDCS (0.56, 0.03-1.09) had short-term positive effects on general cognition. CT might be associated with negative effects on general cognition (-0.79, -2.06 to 0.48) during rTMS or tDCS. At 1-month follow-up, HFrTMS (1.65, 0.77-2.54) and ctDCS (2.57, 0.20-4.95) exhibited larger therapeutic responses. Separate analysis of populations with pure AD and MCI revealed positive effects only in individuals with AD. rTMS and tDCS were well tolerated.

conclusionsHFrTMS is more effective than atDCS for improving global cognition, and patients with AD may have better responses to rTMS and tDCS than MCI.

Indexed as

CognitionTranscranial Direct Current StimulationTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAgedAlzheimer DiseaseCognitive DysfunctionFemaleHumansMaleMental Status and Dementia TestsTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID33115936
PMCPMC7841477
OpenAlexW3097964601

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.