Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42445345›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in neural circuits2026

Changes in cortical plasticity induced by paired associative stimulation in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Xiaying Fu, Xiaomin Niu, Xiaoying Lin, Wenqi He, Chunyang Liao, Tiantian Xin, Shuqin Li, Sharie Xiao Wang, Jae Q J Liu, Bin Li and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in neural circuits, 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.

Xiaying Fu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Xiaomin Niu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Xiaoying Lin *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Wenqi HeSchool of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
Chunyang LiaoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Tiantian XinDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Shuqin LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Sharie Xiao WangDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Jae Q J LiuDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Bin LiDepartment of Medical Administration, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Jianghua ChengDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Paired associative stimulation (PAS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation paradigm capable of inducing long-term potentiation (LTP)- or long-term depression (LTD)-like plasticity. It has been used to probe neuroplasticity and corticospinal excitability alterations in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, existing studies report inconsistent directions and magnitudes of PAS-induced plasticity changes across the AD continuum. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to December 2025. Eligible studies were case-control studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed PAS-induced cortical plasticity in individuals with AD or MCI, with healthy older adults as controls. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for non-randomized studies and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2) for RCTs. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251178441). Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Four studies quantified motor cortical plasticity using changes in motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude (total Conclusion: Based on the currently available MEP-based evidence, PAS-induced motor-system plasticity findings in individuals with MCI or AD remain inconclusive. Given the limited number of studies and heterogeneity in experimental designs, the pooled negative results should not be interpreted as evidence that cortical plasticity is preserved. Corticospinal hyperexcitability and network-level PAS findings should be regarded as preliminary, hypothesis-generating observations requiring validation in larger, longitudinal, and biomarker-characterized cohorts.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitive DysfunctionNeuronal PlasticityTranscranial Magnetic StimulationEvoked Potentials, MotorHumansMotor CortexAlzheimer’s diseasecortical plasticitymild cognitive impairmentmotor-evoked potentialpaired associative stimulation

Identifiers

PMID42445345
PMCPMC13357726

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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.