Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42554808›Full record

ReviewDer Nervenarzt2026

[Neuromodulation as the fourth pillar in the treatment of depression : A position paper of the German Center for Mental Health].

Sarah Kayser, Beatrix Barth, Malek Bajbouj, Ann-Christine Ehlis, Martin F Gerchen, Ahmed A Karim, Joan Koti, Nils B Kroemer, Fritz-Georg Lehnhardt, Thomas Nickl-Jockschat and 14 more

Abstract readEnglish AbstractReview
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In one paragraph

Review in Der Nervenarzt, 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

24 authors.

Sarah KayserKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland. sarah.kayser@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
Beatrix BarthKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Malek BajboujKlinik und Hochschulambulanz für Psychiatrie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Deutschland.
Ann-Christine EhlisKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Martin F GerchenZentralinstitut für Psychische Gesundheit, Universität Heidelberg/Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, Mannheim, Deutschland.
Ahmed A KarimKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Joan KotiKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, München, Deutschland.
Nils B KroemerKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Fritz-Georg LehnhardtKlinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Klinikum der Universität zu Köln, Köln, Deutschland.
Thomas Nickl-JockschatKlinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Deutschland.
Michael A NitscheAbteilung Psychologie und Neurowissenschaften, Leibniz-Institut für Arbeitsforschung, Dortmund, Deutschland.
Marie-Luise OtteStandort Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Mannheim, Heidelberg, Ulm, Deutschland.
Christian PlewniaKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Alexander SartoriusStandort Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Mannheim, Heidelberg, Ulm, Deutschland.
Stefan R SchweinbergerStandort Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Halle, Jena, Magdeburg, Deutschland.
Julia SiodmiakKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Surjo R SoekadarStandort Berlin-Potsdam, Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Berlin, Potsdam, Deutschland.
Giovanni VardieroKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
Ulrike VogelmannKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, München, Deutschland.
Tino ZaehleCenter for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Deutschland.
Ulf ZiemannKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.
David Zilles-WegnerKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Göttingen, Deutschland.
Alireza GharabaghiKlinik und Hochschulambulanz für Psychiatrie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Deutschland.
Andreas FallgatterKlinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDepressive disorders are associated with a high burden of disease; a substantial proportion of patients show insufficient response despite guideline-based pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, particularly in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Neuromodulation has become established as a fourth pillar in the treatment of depression and includes electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), magnetic seizure therapy (MST), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neurofeedback (NF). Despite partly well-established efficacy, these interventions remain insufficiently integrated into routine clinical care. The aim of this paper is to summarize the current evidence and to analyze key barriers to implementation. MATERIAL AND

methodsNarrative review of clinical studies, meta-analyses, and care data on efficacy, safety and cognitive tolerability.

resultsThe strongest evidence for both acute and maintenance treatment of severe depressive disorders is for ECT; rTMS is effective and cognitively well tolerated and VNS can represent an additive long-term option in TRD. For tES, small and heterogeneous effects have been reported, MST and DBS remain experimental and for NF consistent evidence of efficacy is lacking. Key barriers include partly heterogeneous protocols, insufficient funding structures, particularly in the outpatient setting and the absence of standardized qualification requirements.

conclusionNeuromodulation should be systematically integrated into staged-care models. Standardized protocols and registry-based research are needed to enable the structured and sustainable implementation of neuromodulatory interventions in clinical care.

Indexed as

Depressive disorderElectroconvulsive therapyNeuromodulationTranscranial magnetic stimulationTreatment-resistant depression

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.