ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2024
Unilateral vs. bilateral DLPFC rTMS: comparative effects on depression, visual-spatial memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility in major depressive disorder.
Article 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 7 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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on spatial memory: a systematic review across animal and human studies.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Dual-Site aiTBS for Suicidal Ideation in Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates the hemispheric imbalance in major depressive disorder.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- [Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for unipolar depression].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Review
- A high-power near-infrared photobiomodulation device: design, fabrication, and primary impact on treatment-resistant depression.Lasers in medical science · 2025Article
- Advances in transcranial magnetic stimulation for psychological symptom management in Parkinson's disease.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Identification of cognitive predictors of remission in depression following limited effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on hot and cold cognitive systems.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 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
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Exciting left DLPFC activity with high frequency and inhibiting right DLPFC with low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD) and executive functions. However, few studies have directly compared unilateral and bilateral protocols. Methods: Forty-seven individuals with treatment-resistant MDD underwent 10 sessions of rTMS over left DLPFC (20 Hz), bilateral DLPFC (left 20 Hz, right 1 Hz), or sham stimulation. Outcomes were depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), visual-spatial memory (Corsi Block Test), response inhibition (Go/No-Go task), and cognitive flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) assessed before and after treatment. Results: Both unilateral and bilateral rTMS significantly reduced depression levels versus sham controls based on BDI-II scores. While bilateral stimulation did not improve Corsi Test performance, unilateral protocol enhanced visual-spatial memory. On the Go/No-Go task, accuracy was higher in both active stimulation groups compared to sham, with no response time differences. Neither unilateral nor bilateral rTMS had significant effects on cognitive flexibility per the WCST. Conclusions: Despite comparable antidepressant effects, unilateral stimulation had some cognitive advantages over bilateral rTMS, potentially due to greater left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex excitation. Further research on parameter optimization is warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.