Trial reportNeuroImage. Clinical2025
Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation promote recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness? A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in NeuroImage. Clinical, 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.
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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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex promotes recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Immediate and long-term effects of orbitofrontal cortex stimulation on EEG microstates in schizophrenia.Translational psychiatry · 2026Trial
- RNA-seq Analysis Reveals Neuroimmune Remodeling and NTSR1-Related Neuroactive Signatures After Combined rTMS and Press-Tack Needle Stimulation in TBI Rats.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2026Article
- Ethical Considerations in Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Disorders of Consciousness.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2026Article
- Non-invasive neuroregulation techniques applied to patients with consciousness disorders: a narrative review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Article
- Progress in non-invasive neuromodulation based on consciousness-related neural circuits: a narrative review.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDisorders of consciousness (DoC) are characterized by a broad decline in background excitatory synaptic activity and varying levels of cerebral network disruption. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a neuromodulatory technique, is anticipated to assist the recovery of consciousness. Nonetheless, ongoing debates persist regarding its effectiveness, in light of the inconsistent results of recent research.
objectiveThe purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of rTMS in promoting recovery of consciousness in patients with DoC and to probe its impact on activity of cerebral functional networks.
methodsForty-eight patients with DoC were included in this randomized controlled trial (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100044930). Twenty-four patients in the control group accepted conventional therapy. Another 24 patients in the rTMS group received extra rTMS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) once per workday during a 4-week intervention phase. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients emerging improvement on level of consciousness (LOC) based on coma recovery scale- revised (CRS-R) at the end of intervention. Furthermore, other behavioral scales such as the clinical global impression-improvement (CGI-I) and resting state-electroencephalography (rs-EEG) microstate were employed as secondary outcomes. Different microstates served as tools to detect the activity of respective corresponding resting state cerebral functional networks.
resultsIn comparison to the control group, the rTMS group exhibited a higher proportion of patients emerging improvement on LOC at post-intervention, with a risk ratio of 3.06 (95 % CI 1.54 to 6.09, P = 0.001). The distribution of patients with each grade of CGI-I across the groups also implied a trend that favored the rTMS group (common odds ratio:0.20, 95 % CI 0.065 to 0.63, P = 0.006). With respect to microstate E, the rTMS group had a significantly reduced global explained variance (GEV) was observed in the rTMS group (Z = -2.61, P
conclusionHigh-frequency rTMS over the DLPFC could promote recovery of consciousness in patients with DoC. It might get involved in modulating the balance among cerebral functional networks and facilitating consciousness recovery.
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