Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42359246›Full record

ReviewClinical parkinsonism & related disorders2026

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lara Hamzeh Hamzeh, Yahya Kayed AbuJwaid, Sara M F Fahmy, Dania AbuHawas, Habiba Tariq Saeed, Daher Heib, Mawatheeq Al-Yafrosi, Ahmed Noureldeen Abbas, Karima El Refaei, Christian Cortes Armijo and 1 more

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Review in Clinical parkinsonism & related 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

11 authors.

Lara Hamzeh HamzehFaculty of Medicine, Caucasus International University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Yahya Kayed AbuJwaidFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine.
Sara M F FahmyFaculty of Medicine, Delta University for Science and Technology, Al Mansurah, Dakahlia, Egypt.
Dania AbuHawasUniversity of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Habiba Tariq SaeedFaculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
Daher HeibFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine.
Mawatheeq Al-YafrosiFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Aden, Yemen.
Ahmed Noureldeen AbbasFaculty of Medicine, Minia University, Egypt.
Karima El RefaeiSchool of Medicine, Newgiza University (NGU), Giza, Egypt.
Christian Cortes ArmijoFacultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico.
Majd A AbuAlrobNeurology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Freezing of gait is among the most disabling motor complications of Parkinson's disease, markedly increasing fall risk and reducing quality of life. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has emerged as a non-invasive neuromodulation approach; however, evidence regarding its efficacy for freezing of gait remains heterogeneous and inconclusive. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for freezing of gait and motor outcomes in Parkinson's disease. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD420261285716). PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched through January 2026 for randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was freezing of gait severity measured by the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire. Pooled standardized mean differences were calculated using random-effects modeling. Results: Twelve randomized controlled trials comprising 293 participants were included. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improved freezing of gait severity as measured by the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (standardized mean difference = -0.97, 95% confidence interval - 1.39 to -0.55; Conclusions: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improves freezing of gait and motor performance in Parkinson's disease, representing a safe and promising adjunctive therapy for gait disturbances refractory to conventional treatment. Future large-scale trials with standardized protocols are needed to confirm long-term efficacy.

Indexed as

Freezing of gaitmeta-analysisNeuromodulationParkinson's diseaseRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID42359246
PMCPMC13292664

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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.