Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41248401›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Developing consolidated guidelines for reporting and evaluation of studies using transcranial electrical stimulation (CoRE-tES): protocol for an international Delphi study and expert consensus process.

Ariane Y Suhood, Simon Summers, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Michael A Nitsche, Ulf Ziemann, Marom Bikson, Jean-Pascal Lefaucheur, Andre R Brunoni, Sven Bestmann, Lucy S Chipchase and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Ariane Y SuhoodBrain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) Lab, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Simon SummersBrain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) Lab, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Alvaro Pascual-LeoneDepartment of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Michael A NitscheDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, NRW, Germany.
Ulf ZiemannDepartment of Neurology & Stroke, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany.
Marom BiksonNeural Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, New York, USA.
Jean-Pascal LefaucheurFaculty of Health, Paris Est Creteil University, Creteil, France.
Andre R BrunoniService of Interdisciplinary Neuromodulation, Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Sven BestmannDepartment of Clinical and Movement Neuroscience, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, England, UK.
Lucy S ChipchaseCollege of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Lais B RazzaGhent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, Ghent, Flanders, Belgium.
Rocco CavaleriBrain Stimulation and Rehabilitation (BrainStAR) Lab, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia r.cavaleri@westernsydney.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9499-1703

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn recent decades, transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has become a widely used non-invasive method for modulating brain function in clinical and non-clinical populations. However, existing tES trials exhibit substantial methodological heterogeneity, often limiting the reproducibility and interpretability of findings. There currently exists a paucity of consensus-driven, standardised recommendations outlining the key factors that should be reported and/or controlled in tES studies. Accordingly, this project aims to develop Consolidated Guidelines for Reporting and Evaluation of studies using tES (CoRE-tES), a tool designed to assess the methodological quality and reporting of laboratory-based and home-based tES studies. These guidelines will support improved quality, consistency, replication and transparency in research involving tES modalities, including transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation and transcranial random noise stimulation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: CoRE-tES will be developed and disseminated over five stages. Stage 1 will comprise a review of recent tES literature to assess methodological and reporting quality. Stage 2 will employ a Delphi process to seek agreement among international tES experts on a list of items for inclusion in CoRE-tES. In stage 3, a consensus meeting will be held to synthesise and prioritise the agreed items to form CoRE-tES. Stage 4 will involve production of the final CoRE-tES checklist and an accompanying evaluation and elaboration document. In stage 5, CoRE-tES will be disseminated via journal publication, conferences, professional meetings and social media campaigns. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been obtained from the Western Sydney University Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number H16803). Findings will be disseminated through scientific conferences and peer-reviewed journal publications, and CoRE-tES will be indexed on the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research Network website.

Indexed as

Guidelines as TopicResearch DesignTranscranial Direct Current StimulationConsensus Statements as TopicDelphi TechniqueHumansDelphi TechniqueElectric Stimulation TherapyGuideline AdherenceNEUROLOGYPAIN MANAGEMENTPSYCHIATRY

Identifiers

PMID41248401
PMCPMC12587907

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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.