Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36817875›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP

Stimulated brains and meditative minds: A systematic review on combining low intensity transcranial electrical stimulation and meditation in humans.

Rebecca Divarco, Perianen Ramasawmy, Frank Petzke, Andrea Antal

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 8% 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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  8. Introduction to the Special Issue on Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2025
    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

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Rebecca DivarcoDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, Göttingen 37075, Germany.
Perianen RamasawmyDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, Göttingen 37075, Germany.
Frank PetzkePain Clinic, Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
Andrea AntalDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, Göttingen 37075, Germany.
University of Göttingen · DEUniversitätsmedizin Göttingen · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Low intensity transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and meditation are two promising, yet variable, non-pharmacological interventions. Growing research is investigating combined effects of both techniques on one's cognitive, emotional, and physical health. Objective: This article reviews the current research that combines tES and meditation interventions in healthy and diseased participants. The review considers the intervention parameters and their effects in a well-organized manner. Method: A systematic search for clinical and experimental published studies was conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) databases using common keywords for tES and for meditation techniques well defined by previous studies. Unpublished ongoing studies were identified with the ClinicalTrials.gov and DRKS.de clinical trial websites. Results: 20 published studies and 13 ongoing studies were included for qualitative analysis. 13 published articles studied patients with chronic pain, psychological disorders, cognitive impairment, and movement disorders. Anodal tDCS was the only tES technique while mindfulness meditation was the most common meditation type. Eight studies had a main group effect, with outcome improvement in the active combined intervention. However, most published studies showed improvements after at least one combined intervention with variable effects. Conclusion: Pairing anodal tDCS with meditation shows promising improvements of the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of daily life. Further studies are required to confirm the relevance of this combination in the clinic.

Indexed as

Brain stimulationMeditationTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)Yoga

Identifiers

PMID36817875
PMCPMC9932362
OpenAlexW4320516530

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.