SynthesisAlzheimer's research & therapy2024
The cognitive effect of non-invasive brain stimulation combined with cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 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
34 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cognitive training in neurological disorders: meta-analytic evidence for behavioral gains and neural correlates.Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on spatial memory: a systematic review across animal and human studies.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on immediate and long-term cognitive functions in Alzheimer's dementia and mild cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia with and Without Concomitant Speech and Language Therapy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation combined with cognitive training on cognitive functions in older people with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Neuroimaging evidence of acupuncture in cognitive impairment following ischemic stroke: a systematic review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Emerging trends and research hotspots of non-invasive brain stimulation for stroke: a bibliometric and visualization study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Multi-Site Theta-tACS Improves Memory and Language Performance and Associated Local and Remote Functional Connectivity in Mild Cognitive Impairment.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Trial
- Comparative effectiveness of multiple interventions for Alzheimer's disease on ABC syndromes and QoL: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.iScience · 2026Article
- Advances in Targeting Central Cholinergic Dysfunction for Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Pharmacotherapy to Neuromodulation.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Review
- Multiomics and proteomic insights into Alzheimer's disease biology in Down syndrome.Expert review of neurotherapeutics · 2026Review
- Comparative efficacy and safety of photobiomodulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in Alzheimer's disease: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Lasers in medical science · 2026Article
- Redirecting Alzheimer's disease therapeutics: Multitarget drugs and complementary non-pharmacological strategies.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Review
- Combined tDCS and Neuropsychological Treatment for Adult ADHD: A Single-Case Feasibility Study on Cognitive and Emotional Outcomes.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Bidirectional prognostic predictions of conversion and reversion in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Abnormal signal transmission in white matter revealed by resting-state communication connectivity in Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive cross-sectional and longitudinal study.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Serum metabolomic profiling following cerebellar repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with cognitive training on Alzheimer's disease.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- Feasibility of Interleaving Computerized Cognitive Training With Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Pilot Studies in Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer's Disease and Stroke.JMIR neurotechnology · 2026Article
- Non-pharmacological strategies for the management of Alzheimer's disease.Dementia & neuropsychologia · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNon-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) combined with cognitive training (CT) may have shown some prospects on improving cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, data from clinical trials or meta-analysis involving NIBS combined with CT have shown controversial results. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate short-term and long-term effects of NIBS combined with CT on improving global cognition and other specific cognitive domains in patients with AD and MCI.
methodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Five electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library and Embase were searched up from inception to 20 November 2023. The PEDro scale and the Cochrane's risk of bias assessment were used to evaluate risk of bias and methodological quality of included studies. All statistical analyses were conducted with Review Manager 5.3.
resultsWe included 15 studies with 685 patients. The PEDro scale was used to assess methodological quality with a mean score of 7.9. The results of meta-analysis showed that NIBS combined with CT was effective on improving global cognition in AD and MCI (SMD = 0.52, 95% CI (0.18, 0.87), p = 0.003), especially for patients accepting repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with CT (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI (0.14, 0.78), p = 0.005). AD could achieve global cognition improvement from NIBS combined with CT group (SMD = 0.77, 95% CI (0.19, 1.35), p = 0.01). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with CT could improve language function in AD and MCI (SMD = 0.29, 95% CI (0.03, 0.55), p = 0.03). At evaluation follow-up, rTMS combined with CT exhibited larger therapeutic responses to AD and MCI in global cognition (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI (0.09, 1.02), p = 0.02). AD could achieve global cognition (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI (0.03, 0.77), p = 0.03) and attention/working memory (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI (0.23, 1.20), p = 0.004) improvement after evaluation follow-up from NIBS combined with CT group.
conclusionsOverall, NIBS combined with CT, particularly rTMS combined with CT, has both short-term and follow-up effects on improving global cognition, mainly in patients with AD. tDCS combined with CT has advantages on improving language function in AD and MCI. Future more studies need evaluate cognitive effects of NIBS combined with CT on other specific cognitive domain in patients with cognitive deterioration.
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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.