SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2024
Placebo effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on negative symptoms and cognition in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and Evidence Certainty of High-Frequency rTMS for Cognitive Impairment Across Neuropsychiatric Disorders: An Umbrella Review.Brain and behavior · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of theta burst stimulation on cognitive function and characteristics of blood oxygen alterations based on near-infrared spectroscopy in chronic schizophrenia.BMC psychiatry · 2025Trial
- A Contrastive Framework for Modeling Brain Heterogeneity in Precision Mental Health.Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- Reconsidering Placebo Effects in Neuromodulation for Parkinson's Disease: Lessons for Clinical Trials and Therapeutic Translation.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Non-invasive brain stimulation augmentation therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Therapeutic Efficacy of rTMS Combined with Low-Dose Antipsychotic Medication in Somatic Symptom Disorder.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2025Article
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Negative symptoms and cognitive impairments are highly frequent in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), associated with adverse functional outcomes and quality of life. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been considered a promising therapeutic option in SSD. However, placebo effects of rTMS on these symptoms remained unclear. Objective: To investigate placebo effects of rTMS on alleviating negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in patients with SSD and to explore potential moderators. Methods: We systematically searched five electronic databases up to 15 July 2023. Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trials investigating effects of rTMS on negative symptoms or cognition in patients with SSD were included. The pooled placebo effect sizes, represented by Hedges' g, were estimated using the random-effects model. Potential moderators were explored through subgroup analysis and meta-regression. Results: Forty-four randomized controlled trials with 961 patients (mean age 37.53 years; 28.1% female) in the sham group were included. Significant low-to-moderate pooled placebo effect sizes were observed for negative symptoms (g=0.44, Conclusions: Placebo effects of rTMS on negative symptoms and cognition in patients with SSD are significant in a small-to-moderate magnitude, which might be mediated by rTMS parameters. Our findings will provide new insights for practitioners to further optimize and establish standardized rTMS protocols for future RCTs tackling cardinal symptoms in SSD. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023390138.
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