ArticleGeneral psychiatry2024
Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on impulsivity in patients with mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.
Article in General psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of single-session transcranial direct current stimulation on response inhibition in stop-signal task performance: A meta-analysis and systematic review.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- Diminishing loss sensitivity during risky decision-making among male individuals with gambling disorder.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Article
- The effect of 6 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex on reward learning in men with methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot randomised double-blind trial.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- Understanding the emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescence from a brain and behavioral developmental perspective.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Anodal excitatory HD-tDCS over left DLPFC on impulsivity, problem solving, and executive functions in young-onset behavioral addiction: A randomized sham-controlled study.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Short-term effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on pain sensitivity, emotional and cognitive processes in non-suicidal self-injury: a randomised controlled trial.General psychiatry · 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), may offer an alternative treatment strategy for impulsive behaviour. By modulating brain activity, these techniques could potentially enhance impulse control and mitigate impulsivity. Aims: To provide a comprehensive analysis of the correlation between NIBS parameters, targeted brain regions and impulsivity. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Embase on 5 April 2023 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of NIBS on impulsivity. Unbiased Hedges' g with 95% CIs was used to define the effect size. Cochran Q test and I² statistics were used to assess for heterogeneity; p values inferior to 0.10 and I²>25% were considered significant for heterogeneity. Publication bias was investigated by funnel plot analysis of point estimates according to study weights, by Egger's regression test and by non-parametric rank correlation (Begg) test. Results: A total of 18 studies were included, comprising 655 patients from 14 RCTs and four randomised crossover studies. The meta-analysis of effect sizes from 9 tDCS studies on impulsivity did not show a significant effect (g=-0.18; 95% CI -0.46 to 0.10; p=0.210) and from 9 repetitive TMS (rTMS) studies also did not yield a statistically significant effect (g=0.21; 95% CI -0.38 to 0.80; p=0.490). When analysing active tDCS using Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11, the scores showed a trend towards improvement with active tDCS over placebo (g=-0.54; 95% CI -0.97 to -0.12; p<0.05; I²=0%). Conclusions: There is currently insufficient evidence to support the clinical use of rTMS or tDCS as a means of reducing impulsivity in individuals with mental disorders. The main limitations of this study are the lack of available patient-level data, a limited number of studies, the lack of consensus on the structure of impulsivity and variability in how impulsivity is measured and conceptualised. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023413684.
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.