Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40055256›Full record

SynthesisActa neurologica Belgica2025

Cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation in essential tremor: a systematic review and meta-analysis of safety and efficacy.

Abdallah Abbas, Mohamed Abouzid, Haneen Sabet, Ahmed Mansour, Abdelfattah Arafa, Ahmed Elshahat, Ahmed Mostafa Amin, Mahmoud Tarek Hefnawy, Mohamed El-Moslemani, Amna Hussein and 7 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Acta neurologica Belgica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

17 authors.

Abdallah AbbasFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt. abdallah.abdelmoneam.abbas@gmail.com.
Mohamed AbouzidDepartment of Physical Pharmacy and Pharmacokinetics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 3 St, Poznan, 60-806, Poland.
Haneen SabetFaculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
Ahmed MansourFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Abdelfattah ArafaFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.
Ahmed ElshahatFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed Mostafa AminFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mahmoud Tarek HefnawyFaculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Mohamed El-MoslemaniFaculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt.
Amna HusseinDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Mostafa Hossam El Din MoawadFaculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Shereen M OlamaDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Badry ShehataDepartment of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Mahmoud G A SalehDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Farag Ibrahim El-AdawyDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed M RaslanDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Mostafa MeshrefDepartment of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEssential tremor (ET) is a common neurological disorder that significantly impacts daily activities. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cerebellar repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and cerebellar Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) in treating ET.

methodsWe searched through June 14, 2024, four databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL) to identify clinical trials investigating cerebellar rTMS or TBS in ET patients. Eligibility criteria included clinical trials reporting on safety and efficacy outcomes. Six reviewers screened and extracted data independently, resolving conflicts through consensus. Risk of bias was assessed. Statistical analyses involved pooling continuous outcomes using the mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with RevMan 5.3.

resultsOut of 201 screened studies, nine studies were included, with a total of 261 participants (149 received rTMS, 112 were in control groups). The meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between rTMS and sham groups for Fahn-Tolosa-Marin (FTM) subscores A (MD: -3.03, 95% CI: [-7.66, 1.60], P = 0.20), B (MD: -2.74, 95% CI: [-8.09, 2.61], P = 0.32), C (MD: -1.57, 95% CI: [-5.12, 1.97], P = 0.38), and FTM-Total (MD: -8.12, 95% CI: [-20.47, 4.23], P = 0.20). Sensitivity analysis confirmed these results. Adverse events were minimal: headaches (1/44 rTMS, 2/19 sham), dizziness (1/44 rTMS, 0/19 sham), and no reported seizures or syncope.

conclusionWhile individual studies noted significant FTM score improvements post-rTMS treatment, the pooled analysis found no significant differences versus sham. Further research with standardized protocols and larger samples is required to optimize rTMS use for ET.

Indexed as

CerebellumEssential TremorTranscranial Magnetic StimulationHumansTreatment OutcomeEssential tremorRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationRTMSTheta burst stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulationTremors

Identifiers

PMID40055256

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.