Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41044265›Full record

ReviewNature protocols2026

Report Approval for Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (RATES): expert recommendation based on a Delphi consensus study.

Vahid Nejati, Zahra Vaziri, Andrea Antal, Daria Antonenko, Roozbeh Behroozmand, Sven Bestmann, Jerome Brunelin, Andre R Brunoni, Sandra Carvalho, Nick J Davis and 35 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nature protocols, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. 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. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. 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

45 authors.

Vahid NejatiDepartment of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. vahid.nejati@utdallas.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-0419-5207
Zahra VaziriDepartment of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Andrea AntalDepartment of Neurology, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany.
Daria AntonenkoDepartment of Neurology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2839-4609
Roozbeh BehroozmandSchool of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Sven BestmannDepartment of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
Jerome BrunelinUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, Bron, France.ORCID 0000-0001-5479-5628
Andre R BrunoniDepartment of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center and O'Donnell Brain Institute, Dallas, TX, USA.
Sandra CarvalhoPsychological Neuroscience Laboratory, Centro de Investigação em Psicologia, Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-1759-5146
Nick J DavisDepartment of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
Peter G EnticottSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Andreas J FallgatterDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Mental Health, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Roberta FerrucciUniversità degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Paul B FitzgeraldSchool of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Masashi HamadaDepartment of Neurology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Roy H HamiltonDepartment of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Kate E HoyThe Bionics Institute, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Shapour JaberzadehDepartment of Physiotherapy, Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Asif JamilDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3497-675X
Roi Cohen KadoshUniversity of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Bart KrekelbergCenter for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
Steven LaureysComa Science Group, GIGA Consciousness Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-3096-3807
Leonor J Romero LauroDepartment of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6478-2502
Colleen K LooUniversity of New South Wales and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3267-0554
Donel MartinUniversity of New South Wales and Black Dog Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Giovanni MartinottiDepartment of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University 'G. d'Annunzio', Chieti-Pescara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7292-2341
Marine MondinoUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, Bron, France.ORCID 0000-0003-3175-8503
Antonio OlivieroFENNSI Group, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Toledo, Spain.
Maria Concetta PellicciariDepartment of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2455-8220
Christian PlewniaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Mental Health, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3852-9906
Gorana PobricDivision of Psychology, Communication and Human Neuroscience, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Rudi De RaedtDepartment of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-6781-4808
Lais B RazzaDepartment of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Lorenzo RocchiDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3979-156X
Mohammad Ali SalehinejadSchool of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.ORCID 0000-0003-1913-4677
Azin Sarraj KhorramiDepartment of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Martin SchecklmannDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Hartwig Roman SiebnerDanish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.
Stephan F TaylorUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Marie-Anne VanderhasseltDepartment of Head and Skin, Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Sven VannesteTrinity College Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Dublin - Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Carmelo M VicarioDepartment of Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Education, and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Adam J WoodsSchool of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Ulf ZiemannDepartment of Neurology and Stroke, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8372-3615
Michael A NitscheDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2207-5965

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has gained substantial momentum as a research and therapeutic tool; however, it suffers from challenges related to reproducibility and quality assessment due to the absence of standardized reporting practices. Here we aim to develop a comprehensive and consensus-based checklist for conducting and reporting tES studies to enhance the quality of research and reports. In this Consensus Statement, we used a Delphi approach conducted across three rounds and involving 38 experts to identify crucial elements required to report in tES studies. This consensus-driven approach included the evaluation of the interquartile deviation (>1.00), the percentage of positive responses (above 60%) and mean importance ratings (<3), hence ensuring the creation of a robust and well-balanced checklist. These metrics were utilized to assess both the consensus reached and importance ratings for each item. Consensus was reached, leading to the retention of 66 out of the initial 70 items. These items were categorized into five groups: participants (12 items), stimulation device (9 items), electrodes (12 items), current (12 items) and procedure (25 items). We then distilled a shorter version of the checklist, which includes the 26 items deemed essential. The Report Approval for Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (RATES) checklist is relevant to those carrying out and assessing tES studies, as it provides a structured framework for researchers to consider and report. For reviewers, it can serve as a tool to assess completeness, comprehensiveness and transparency of reports. In addition, the RATES checklist aims to promote a deeper understanding of tES and facilitates comparisons between studies within the field. Overall, the RATES checklist provides a shared reference point that may improve research quality, foster harmonization in reporting and, ultimately, enhance the interpretability and reproducibility of findings in both research and clinical contexts.

Indexed as

ChecklistTranscranial Direct Current StimulationConsensusDelphi TechniqueHumans

Identifiers

PMID41044265

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.