Trial reportPloS one2024
Modulation of neural networks and symptom correlated in fibromyalgia: A randomized double-blind multi-group explanatory clinical trial of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation.
Trial report in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03843203 (Efficacy and Effectivity of Long Term Home Based tDCS in Fibromyalgia), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Efficacy and Effectivity of Long Term Home Based tDCS in Fibromyalgia: an Explanatory Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Clinical, neurophysiological and neurochemical effects of non-invasive electrical brain stimulation in fibromyalgia syndrome-a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Strength Training Versus Walking on the Fibromyalgia Impact: A Blinded Randomised Controlled Trial.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Trial
- Handling missing data in fibromyalgia clinical trials-considerations for the use of linear mixed models in longitudinal analyses: perspectives in rheumatology.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Review
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Core Symptoms of Chronic Primary Pain: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Rethinking Pain Assessment: Subjective Scales, Biomarkers, and Multimodal Integration.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Home use of low-intensity transcranial electrical stimulation in clinical practice: an IFCN handbook chapter.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might modulate neural activity and promote neural plasticity in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). This multi-group randomized clinical trial compared home-based active tDCS (HB-a-tDCS) on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) or home-based sham tDCS (HB-s-tDCS), and HB-a-tDCS or HB-s-tDCS on the primary motor cortex (M1) in the connectivity analyses in eight regions of interest (ROIs) across eight resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) frequencies.
methodsWe included 48 women with FM, aged 30 to 65, randomly assigned to 2:1:2:1 to receive 20 sessions during 20 minutes of HB-a-tDCS 2mA or HB-s-tDCS, over l-DLPFC or M1, respectively. EEG recordings were obtained before and after treatment with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC).
resultsIn the EC condition, comparing pre to post-treatment, the HB-a-tDCS on l-DLPFC decreased the lagged coherence connectivity in the delta frequency band between the right insula and left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (t = -3.542, p = .048). The l-DLPFC HB-a-tDCS compared to HB-s-tDCS decreased the lagged coherence connectivity in the delta frequency band between the right insula and left ACC (t = -4.000, p = .017). In the EO condition, the l-DLPFC HB-a-tDCS compared to M1 HB-s-tDCS increased the lagged coherence connectivity between the l-DLPFC and left ACC in the theta band (t = -4.059, p = .048). Regression analysis demonstrated that the HB-a-tDCS effect on the l-DLPFC was positively correlated with sleep quality. On the other hand, the HB-a-tDCS on l-DLPFC and HB-s-tDCS on M1 were positively correlated with pain catastrophizing.
conclusionsThese results show that HB-a-tDCS affects the neural connectivity between parts of the brain that control pain's emotional and attentional aspects, which are most noticeable at lower EEG frequencies in a rest state. This effect on neural oscillations could serve as a neural marker associated with its efficacy in alleviating fibromyalgia symptoms. CLINICAL
trial registrationidentifier [NCT03843203].
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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.