SynthesisEating and weight disorders : EWD2025
Efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation in anorexia nervosa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effects of neuromodulation interventions on the eating behaviors of patients with eating disorders compared to healthy controls, sham therapies, and other therapeutic approaches: A systematic review.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of neuroregulatory interventions upon weight in patients with mental illness: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Theta burst stimulation of extrastriate body area for body perception in anorexia nervosa: a randomized controlled trial.Translational psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Neural circuits regulating activity-based anorexia.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Letter to the editor regarding Bahadori and colleagues' 'Efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation in anorexia nervosa: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (2025).Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2026Article
- rTMS Therapy for Eating Disorders: Scoping Review on Efficacy, Safety, Stimulation Parameters and Study Subjects.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Review
- From lobotomy to connectomics: a critical review of contemporary psychosurgery.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Non-inferiority of Accelerated vs. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Review
- EEG Microstates Signatures of rTMS Response Over the lDLPFC: A Band-Specific Analysis.Brain topography · 2025Article
- Individualized targeting of the posterior parietal cortex with intermittent theta burst stimulation in anorexia nervosa: a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled protocol.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Potential use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in treating pediatric avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: a case report.Frontiers in psychology · 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
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has emerged as a promising treatment for various neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Parkinson's disease. Recent research has focused on evaluating its effectiveness in treating patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of TMS on patients with AN and evaluated any potential adverse effects.
methodsWe conducted search according to PRISMA guidelines and comprehensively analyzed data from multiple databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, up to September 13th. Statistical analysis utilized the Comprehensive Meta-analysis software version 3.0.
resultsThe systematic review encompassed 17 studies, with nine undergoing meta-analyses. The primary target for TMS was the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, with two studies targeting the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, one targeting the insula and one targeting the inferior parietal lobe. The findings revealed a significant increase in body mass index (BMI) following TMS (SMD: -0.025, 95% CI: -0.0505 to -0.005, P-value = 0.045). Additionally, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) score was quantitatively reported in six studies, which permitted its inclusion in the meta-analysis. The analysis exhibited a significant decrease in EDE-Q score after TMS (SMD: 0.634, 95% CI: 0.349-0.919, P-value < 0.001). Subgroup analysis based on TMS session duration indicated that the effect size of TMS on EDE-Q score is more pronounced when the session duration exceeds 20 min.
conclusionTMS represents an effective therapy for patients with AN, leading to improvements in both BMI and core symptoms of AN, with minor and transient side effects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
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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.