Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41769006›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2026

Comparative effects of intermittent theta-burst stimulation and sequential bilateral rTMS on depression and emotion regulation in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Li Pu, Yaqin Li, Zhengzhi Deng, Chaoli Deng, Anran Hu, Jiang Wu, Zhihong Chen, Dezhong Yao, Hongmei Yan, Guojian Yan

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  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

10 authors.

Li PuThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Yaqin LiThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Zhengzhi DengThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Chaoli DengThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Anran HuThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Jiang WuThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Zhihong ChenThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Dezhong YaoThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Hongmei YanThe Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, China-Cuba Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Neurotechnology and Brain-Apparatus Communication, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Guojian YanThe Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with dysfunction in prefrontal-limbic circuits, particularly involving deficits in emotion regulation. Non-invasive brain stimulation, including sequential bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), targets these circuits, but comparative efficacy and mechanistic underpinnings remain unclear. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 114 patients with MDD were recruited, and 106 completed the study. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either sequential bilateral rTMS ( Results: Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between groups. Following treatment, iTBS elicited significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms (HAMD: 14.88 ± 5.25 vs. 7.88 ± 5.26; Conclusion: Intermittent theta-burst stimulation targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex induces more pronounced improvements in depressive symptoms and cognitive reappraisal than sequential bilateral rTMS, likely associated with potentiation of left prefrontal emotion-regulatory circuits. Sequential bilateral rTMS also provides therapeutic benefit, possibly through restoring interhemispheric balance.

Indexed as

cognitive reappraisalemotion regulationintermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS)major depressive disordersequential bilateral rTMS

Identifiers

PMID41769006
PMCPMC12946152

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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.