Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39867967›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2025

Efficacy of brain stimulation therapies across psychiatric, movement, and cognitive disorders: an umbrella review synthesizing meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

Zhenyue Zu, Fenglan Chen, Linxi Yang, Wenzhuo Wei, Mi Zhang, Limin Huang, Ni Li, Zihan Lv, He Du, Xinrong Xue and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2025. 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.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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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

14 authors.

Zhenyue ZuSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Fenglan ChenSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Linxi YangSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Wenzhuo WeiSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Mi ZhangSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Limin HuangSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Ni LiSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zihan LvSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
He DuSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Xinrong XueSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Lijun MaSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Huixue WangSchool of Mental Health and Psychological Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Kai WangAnhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.
Xiaoming LiDepartment of Psychiatry, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Brain stimulation therapy (BST) has significant potential in treating psychiatric, movement, and cognitive disorders. Given the high prevalence of comorbidities among these disorders, we conducted an umbrella review to comprehensively assess the efficacy of BSTs in treating the core symptoms across these three categories of disorders. Methods: We systematically searched for meta-analyses and network meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials with sham controls up to September 25, 2024, from databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Our primary outcome was improvements in core symptoms. We evaluated quality using 11 criteria. We calculated pooled effect estimates for core symptoms based on the largest meta-analyses, then conducted sensitivity and subgroup analyses, and assessed heterogeneity, publication bias, and small-study effects. Finally, we synthesized effect sizes from all meta-analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of BSTs' efficacy. PROSPERO registration: CRD42023439090. Findings: We included 198 articles with 108,377 patients evaluating 14 BSTs across 21 disorders. The largest meta-analysis showed a moderate standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.64; I Interpretation: This review explored the potential of BSTs for comorbidities of the three disorders from a disorder-specific perspective, providing a roadmap for their clinical application and future research. Funding: This work was supported by the Anhui Natural Science Foundation (2023AH040086), Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science of Anhui Province on Adolescent Mental Health and Crisis Intelligence Intervention (SYS2023B08), and the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U23A20424).

Indexed as

Brain stimulation therapyCognitive disordersMovement disordersPsychiatric disordersUmbrella review

Identifiers

PMID39867967
PMCPMC11760298

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.