Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41653400›Full record

ArticleBrain imaging and behavior2026

Global white matter microstructure changes induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in cocaine use disorder: a longitudinal correlational tractography study.

Michele Porcu, Luigi Cocco, Massimo Caulo, Francesco Marrosu, Jasjit S Suri, Abdelkader Mahammedi, Mirko Manchia, Luca Saba

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Article in Brain imaging and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Michele Porcu *Department of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. micheleporcu87@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3090-8541
Luigi Cocco *Department of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Massimo CauloDepartment of Neuroscience, ITAB-Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Imaging and Clinical Sciences - University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
Francesco MarrosuDepartment of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Jasjit S SuriDepartment of ECE, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA.
Abdelkader MahammediDepartment of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Mirko ManchiaSection of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Luca SabaDepartment of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a significant public health problem with few treatment options. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has shown promise as a therapeutic tool for neural alterations in CUD. However, its effects on white matter (WM) microstructure and their role in treatment efficacy remain uncertain. This study aimed to assess the global impact of rTMS on WM microstructure in CUD patients. In this study, we made a longitudinal correlational tractography analysis that was conducted using Quantitative Anisotropy (QA) on diffusion MRI data from CUD patients who received either active rTMS (n = 22) or sham rTMS (n = 18) treatment. Imaging data were collected before (T0) and after two weeks of treatment (T1). Correlations were derived using nonparametric Spearman partial correlation, accounting for gender, age, and age at substance initiation through multiple regression. Tracks were selected using a p-FDR threshold of 0.05. A significant QA increase was found in 9718 tracts across the whole brain in the active rTMS group compared to the sham group, with no observed reduction in QA. The affected WM tracts included cerebellar, commissural, associative, and projective fibers, mainly in the left hemisphere. The study suggests that rTMS induces widespread changes in WM microstructure, potentially improving communication between brain regions and cognitive control in CUD patients. However, the small sample size limits the findings' generalizability, highlighting the need for larger, longitudinal studies.

Indexed as

BrainCocaine-Related DisordersTranscranial Magnetic StimulationWhite MatterAdultAnisotropyDiffusion Tensor ImagingFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedCocaine use disorder.Longitudinal correlational tractographyQuantitative anisotropy

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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.