SynthesisJournal of neurodevelopmental disorders2026
Transcranial direct current stimulation on social communication among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Divergent scalp-to-region distance alteration patterns in autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has gained attention as a potential intervention to improve social cognition in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, its effects across social domains and the influence of stimulation parameters remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS in enhancing social functioning in children with ASD, focusing on emotion recognition, theory of mind (ToM), and social responsiveness.
methodsA comprehensive search identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating tDCS effects on social cognition in children with ASD. Studies were assessed for effect sizes and statistical significance. A meta-analysis pooled results, and moderators of tDCS effectiveness were examined.
resultsScreening 14 studies revealed that anodal tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) produced the most consistent improvements in emotion recognition, ToM, and social responsiveness. However, results varied, with some studies reporting improvements, while others showed no substantial effects. Dual-stimulation or cathodal stimulation yielded mixed outcomes. Evidence was limited by small sample sizes, risk of bias, and variability in stimulation parameters.
conclusionsAnodal tDCS over the left DLPFC shows promise for improving social cognition in ASD. Larger controlled trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of combining tDCS with social skills training.
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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.