Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40151872›Full record

Trial reportPsychological medicine2025

Medial parietal alpha-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation for chronic insomnia: a randomized sham-controlled trial.

Li Wang, Yanlin Chen, Zhixin Piao, Xuecun Gu, Hongzhi Liu, Di Wang, Zilong Yan, Yanru Liu, Guang Shi, Qing Cui and 6 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychological medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
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  6. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Li WangSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Yanlin ChenSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Zhixin PiaoSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Xuecun GuDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Hongzhi LiuDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Di WangDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zilong YanSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Yanru LiuDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Beijing, China.
Guang ShiDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Qing CuiDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Tiantian LiuSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Yang LiDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zhulin XiaoBeijing Lianying Yinghe Medical Imaging Diagnosis Center, Beijing, China.
Wei MengDepartment of Radiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China.
Tianyi YanSchool of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China.
Kun WangDepartment of Neurology, Beijing Puren Hospital, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0004-2690-3125

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 2023TQ0027; 2024M754099
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with chronic insomnia are characterized by alterations in default mode network and alpha oscillations, for which the medial parietal cortex (MPC) is a key node and thus a potential target for interventions.

methodsFifty-six adults with chronic insomnia were randomly assigned to 2 mA, alpha-frequency (10 Hz), 30 min active or sham transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied over the MPC for 10 sessions completed within two weeks, followed by 4- and 6-week visits. The connectivity of the dorsal and ventral posterior cingulate cortex (vPCC) was calculated based on resting functional MRI.

resultsFor the primary outcome, the active group showed a higher response rate (≥ 50% reduction in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) at week 6 than that of the sham group (71.4% versus 3.6%) (risk ratio 20.0, 95% confidence interval 2.9 to 139.0, p = 0.0025). For the secondary outcomes, the active therapy induced greater and sustained improvements (versus sham) in the PSQI, depression (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), and cognitive deficits (Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-Depression) scores. The response rates in the active group decreased at weeks 8-14 (42.9%-57.1%). Improvement in sleep was associated with connectivity between the vPCC and the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobe, whereas vPCC-to-middle frontal gyrus connectivity was associated with cognitive benefits and vPCC-to-ventromedial prefrontal cortex connectivity was associated with alleviation in rumination.

conclusionsTargeting the MPC with alpha-tACS appears to be an effective treatment for chronic insomnia, and vPCC connectivity represents a prognostic marker of treatment outcome.

Indexed as

Alpha RhythmParietal LobeSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultFemaleGyrus CinguliHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedTreatment Outcomeinsomniamedial parietal cortexpittsburgh sleep quality indextranscranial alternating current stimulationtranscranial electrical stimulation

Identifiers

PMID40151872
PMCPMC12094628

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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.