SynthesisSchizophrenia bulletin2025
Safety of rTMS for Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on neuropathic pain in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Immediate and long-term effects of orbitofrontal cortex stimulation on EEG microstates in schizophrenia.Translational psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Functional gradient reorganization and transcriptomic signatures underlying 1 Hz rTMS treatment in first-episode schizophrenia following right orbitofrontal cortex stimulation.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Translational pathways of oxytocin therapy in schizophrenia: bridging negative symptom domains and neural mechanisms.Translational psychiatry · 2026Review
- Clinical practice guidelines for management of schizophrenia in India: A comprehensive overview.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2026Article
- Cerebellar-Prefrontal Connectivity Predicts Negative Symptom Severity Across the Psychosis Spectrum.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2026Article
- Physical Therapies and Neuromodulation for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia: A Review of Potential Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Safety.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Review
- Unraveling the mysteries of schizophrenia: Insights into prefrontal cortex dysfunction and therapeutic implications.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Review
- Non-invasive brain stimulation augmentation therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Application of cerebellar vermis theta-burst stimulation patterned repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with chronic schizophrenia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for disorders of consciousness: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Network-targeted TMS modulates nicotine craving and default mode network connectivity in psychotic disorders.Brain stimulationArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
background and hypothesisCurrent treatments for schizophrenia are only partially effective, and there are no medications for negative symptoms or cognitive impairment. Neuromodulation, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), has potential as a novel intervention for schizophrenia. Prior to clinical use, rTMS should have demonstrated safety in a large schizophrenia population. However, the safety profile of rTMS in schizophrenia is not well characterized, and regulatory agencies have expressed concern about safety in this population. STUDY
designWe conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis of rTMS studies in schizophrenia. We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Science Citation Index Expanded for rTMS studies in schizophrenia that reported adverse effects. We extracted the number of participants who experienced an adverse effect and calculated the prevalence of each adverse effect for active or sham rTMS. We tested the difference between the prevalence of events in the active and sham conditions. We assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Handbook. STUDY
resultsThe initial search identified 1472 studies. After screening, 261 full-text studies were assessed, and 126 met inclusion criteria (N = 4122 total subjects). The prevalence of headache or scalp pain, dizziness or syncope, facial twitching, and nausea was higher for active rTMS compared to sham (P < .05). The prevalence of all other adverse effects, including seizure, was not different between active and sham rTMS.
conclusionsrTMS is safe and well tolerated for people with schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia are not at increased risk for adverse effects, including seizure, compared to the general population.
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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.