Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39272101›Full record

Trial reportJournal of translational medicine2024

Repeated prefrontal tDCS for improving mental health and cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study.

Nasim Zakibakhsh, Sajjad Basharpoor, Hamidreza Ghalyanchi Langroodi, Mohammad Narimani, Michael A Nitsche, Mohammad Ali Salehinejad

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of translational medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06401928 (Electrical Brain Stimulation for Improving Mental Health and Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 18 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT06401928 nacompletednot on this map

Electrical Brain Stimulation for Improving Mental Health and Cognitive Functioning in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe National Brain Mapping Laboratory (NBML)Ran2023 to 2024Enrolled53ConditionsMultiple SclerosisArmstranscranial direct current stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation combined with cognitive training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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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

6 authors.

Nasim ZakibakhshDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Sajjad BasharpoorDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. basharpoor_sajjad@uma.ac.ir.
Hamidreza Ghalyanchi LangroodiClinical Development and Research Unit, Ghaem Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Mohammad NarimaniDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Michael A NitscheDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
Mohammad Ali SalehinejadDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany. salehinejad@ifado.de.ORCID 0000-0003-1913-4677

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease associated with physical disability, psychological impairment, and cognitive dysfunctions. Consequently, the disease burden is substantial, and treatment choices are limited. In this randomized, double-blind study, we conducted repeated prefrontal electrical stimulation in 40 patients with MS to evaluate mental health variables (quality of life, sleep difficulties, psychological distress) and cognitive dysfunctions (psychomotor speed, working memory, attention/vigilance), marking it as the third largest sample size tDCS research conducted in MS to date.

methodsThe patients were randomly assigned (block randomization method) to two groups of sham (n = 20), or 1.5-mA (n = 20) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) and right frontopolar cortex (Fp2) with anodal and cathodal stimulation respectively (electrode size: 25 cm

resultsRepeated prefrontal real tDCS significantly improved quality of life and reduced sleep difficulties and psychological distress compared to the sham group. It, furthermore, improved psychomotor speed, attention, and vigilance compared to the sham protocol. Improvement in mental health outcome variables and cognitive outperformance were interrelated and could predict each other.

conclusionsRepeated prefrontal and frontopolar tDCS ameliorates secondary clinical symptoms related to mental health and results in beneficial cognitive effects in patients with MS. These results support applying prefrontal tDCS in larger trials for improving mental health and cognitive dysfunctions in MS.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06401928.

Indexed as

Mental HealthMultiple SclerosisPrefrontal CortexTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultCognition DisordersDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsQuality of LifeCognitive deficitsMental healthMultiple sclerosisPrefrontal tDCSQuality of lifeTranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID39272101
PMCPMC11397099

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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.