Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39341715›Full record

SynthesisCortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior2024

Neural correlates of phantom motor execution: A functional neuroimaging systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kevin Pacheco-Barrios, Robin Emily Heemels, Daniela Martinez-Magallanes, Marianna Daibes, Cristina Naqui-Xicota, Maria Andrade, Felipe Fregni

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Brain activation for actual and imagined hand movement following bilateral hand transplantation.Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior · 2025
    Article
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

7 authors.

Kevin Pacheco-BarriosNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Unidad de Investigación para la Generación y Síntesis de Evidencias en Salud, Lima, Peru. Electronic address: kevin.pacheco.barrios@gmail.com.
Robin Emily HeemelsNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
Daniela Martinez-MagallanesNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Marianna DaibesNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Cristina Naqui-XicotaNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Maria AndradeNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Felipe FregniNeuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Electronic address: Fregni.Felipe@mgh.harvard.edu.

Funding

Pragmatic Trial of Remote tDCS and Somatosensory Training for Phantom Limb Pain with Machine Learning to Predict Treatment ResponseR01HD082302 · NICHD · SPAULDING REHABILITATION HOSPITAL · PI Felipe Fregni · 2015 to 2026
$4.7M
NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD082302
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Phantom motor execution (PME) shows promise as a new treatment for phantom limb pain (PLP) by inducing motor-related analgesia and retraining the pain network activation. However, the current understanding of the neural correlates underlying PME is limited. Databases were systematically searched for multimodal neuroimaging studies to explore the neural correlates of PME. A narrative synthesis (17 studies, n = 328) and coordinate-based meta-analysis were performed to identify activation commonalities. Contrasting PME-vs-REST revealed differential activation of the supplementary motor area (SMA), post-central gyrus, and dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus; while PME-vs-ME revealed differential activation of the right anterior insula, anterior cingulate, left amygdala, and right striatum. Further narrative synthesis revealed a positive correlation between PME-induced brain activity and PLP intensity, and a specific connectivity pattern during PME on the SMA-M1 network compared to ME and motor imagery. Our results suggest that the PME represents a distinct type of motor network activation, partially overlapping with ME and motor imagery activations but with special activation of interoceptive regulation and mood-related regions. Thus, confirming its potential as a therapeutic approach for PLP.

Indexed as

Brain MappingFunctional NeuroimagingPhantom LimbBrainHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMotor CortexAmputationNeuroimagingPhantom limb painPhantom motor executionPhantom movement

Identifiers

PMID39341715
PMCPMC11611634

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.