Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41338357›Full record

SynthesisBiological psychiatry2026

Domain-Specific Efficacy of Accelerated Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Hangbin Zhang, Jacob Green, Shraddha Dwivedi, Ying-Hui Chou

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Biological psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
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

4 authors.

Hangbin ZhangBrain Imaging and TMS Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Jacob GreenBrain Imaging and TMS Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Shraddha DwivediBrain Imaging and TMS Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Ying-Hui ChouBrain Imaging and TMS Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Arizona Center on Aging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Electronic address: yinghuichou@arizona.edu.

Funding

Enhancement of Hippocampal Plasticity Using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic StimulationR01AG062543 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · PI CHOU, YING-HUI · 2020 to 2024
$3.5M
Interleaved TMS-fMRI for Hippocampal Stimulation: Modeling Dose-Response Relationship in Amnestic Mild Cognitive ImpairmentR21AG077153 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · PI CHOU, YING-HUI · 2022 to 2023
$409k
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG062543NIA NIH HHS R21 AG077153
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAccelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (arTMS) (≥2 sessions/day) delivers high neuromodulatory doses over compressed timelines. It is increasingly used to target circuit-level dysfunction and treat diverse psychiatric conditions. However, its domain-specific efficacy and dose-dependent neuroplastic mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

methodsWe conducted a preregistered systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis (PROSPERO: CRD42024536096) of randomized controlled trials comparing arTMS with sham stimulation. Searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library (through July 23, 2024) identified 44 trials (N = 1671; 46.3% female) across 20 symptom domains. Standardized mean differences (Hedges' g) quantified treatment effects. Meta-regressions examined the moderating effects of stimulation parameters and participant demographics.

resultsCompared with sham, arTMS yielded moderate antidepressant effects (g = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.85) and significant improvements in anxiety (g = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.81), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (g = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.88), working memory (g = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.79), and declarative memory (g = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.58). Session frequency, intersession interval, cumulative pulse dose, age, and sex significantly moderated outcomes in specific domains, implicating dose- and sex-linked plasticity mechanisms. Risk of bias was predominantly low. Adverse events were mild and transient.

conclusionsarTMS yields rapid, domain-specific, transdiagnostic benefits with a favorable safety profile. Moderator analyses support a mechanistic model wherein stimulation-induced plasticity interacts with individual neurobiology to shape clinical response. These findings highlight arTMS as a scalable, circuit-targeted intervention and provide quantitative parameters to guide precision-medicine trials.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersTranscranial Magnetic StimulationFemaleHumansNeuronal PlasticityAccelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationNeuromodulationNeuroplasticityNeuropsychiatric disordersTransdiagnostic symptom domainsTranslational neuroscience

Identifiers

PMID41338357
PMCPMC12746164

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.