Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41672150›Full record

Trial reportJournal of affective disorders2026

Does mental health coaching improve efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation for major depression? A pilot randomized controlled trial and benchmarking study.

Benjamin M Rosenberg, Nora M Barnes-Horowitz, Doan Ngo, Jung Woon Park, Ossanna H Amran, Aleeza West, Jiani Li, Chiana Yang, Kelly Y Cai, Thomas E Valles and 6 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of affective disorders, 2026. 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

16 authors.

Benjamin M RosenbergNeuroscience Department, Pomona College, Claremont, CA, USA. Electronic address: benjamin.rosenberg@pomona.edu.
Nora M Barnes-HorowitzDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
Doan NgoDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; TMS Clinical and Research Service, Neuromodulation Division, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jung Woon ParkDivision of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Ossanna H AmranSchool of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Aleeza WestDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jiani LiDepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Chiana YangCollege of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA.
Kelly Y CaiDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Thomas E VallesDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; TMS Clinical and Research Service, Neuromodulation Division, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Cole MatthewsDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; TMS Clinical and Research Service, Neuromodulation Division, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Isabelle LanserDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Jill M NewbySchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; Black Dog Institute, Hospital Road, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia.
Michael MillardClinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression, St Vincent's Hospital, 390 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia.
Andrew F LeuchterDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; TMS Clinical and Research Service, Neuromodulation Division, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Michelle G CraskeDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Funding

PREVENTION RESEARCH TRAINING:URBAN CHILDREN'S MENT HLTHT32MH015750 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI CHRISTINE DUNKEL SCHETTER · 1985 to 2026
$6.2M
NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH015750
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is common and burdensome. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is recommended for individuals who do not respond to first-line treatments. Coach-supported digital mental health programs are scalable strategies for delivering therapeutic content. This randomized controlled trial tested whether digital mental health programs bolster rTMS for MDD. N = 36 depressed adults completed a six-week course of rTMS. Of this group, n = 18 were randomized to digital cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT with Coaching), and n = 18 were randomized to digital narrative stories of hope (iNarratives with Coaching). Multilevel models tested group differences in treatment outcomes over time. Principal outcomes focused on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Exploratory analyses compared outcomes versus a Benchmarking Sample of N = 29 patients who received rTMS without coaching. There was a main effect of time (p < .001), indicating an overall reduction in depression symptoms during the trial. Contrary to hypotheses, there was no Group x Time interaction (p = .662), and groups did not differ on clinical response rates (p = .654). Secondary analyses found that the iNarratives group showed greater improvement in positive emotion and functional impairment, whereas the iCBT group showed less dropout from the coaching intervention. Exploratory analyses found a Group x Time interaction (p = .039), potentially suggesting that participants in iCBT or iNarratives showed steeper symptom reduction versus the Benchmarking Sample. The coach-supported iCBT and iNarratives approaches are comparable as adjuncts to rTMS for depression and may yield lower depression scores versus rTMS alone. iNarratives effects appeared specific to increases in positive emotions and decreases in functional impairment.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMajor Depressive DisorderMentoringTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAdultBenchmarkingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeClinical trialCognitive behavioral therapyDepressionMental health coachingTranscranial magnetic stimulation

Identifiers

PMID41672150
PMCPMC13332852

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.