Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42793326›Full record

ReviewBrain sciences2026

Precision in Delivery, Variability in Response: A Multiscale Mechanistic Framework for Neuronavigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Marcin Karol Setlak, Bartłomiej Błaszczyk, Maciej Wojtacha, Adam Rudnik

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Brain sciences, 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

4 authors.

Marcin Karol SetlakDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-9863-8173
Bartłomiej BłaszczykDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-5648-8138
Maciej WojtachaDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.
Adam RudnikDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Clinical Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) initiates a cascade from intracranial electric-field exposure through neural recruitment and plasticity to distributed network responses. Neuronavigation improves the geometric reproducibility of delivery but does not guarantee equivalent cortical exposure or target engagement. This narrative review integrates these levels within an operational framework for precision TMS.

methodsSix domain-specific PubMed searches covering 1 January 1985 to 31 July 2026 were supplemented by Google Scholar and citation tracking. A documented rerun on 17 August 2026 yielded 6430 records (5617 unique after cross-query deduplication). Evidence was synthesized narratively; no quantitative synthesis or formal risk-of-bias assessment was performed.

resultsNeuronavigation improves geometric precision by stabilizing target definition and coil pose, whereas individualized electric-field models estimate intracranial exposure. Neither establishes biological precision, which also depends on neuronal orientation, brain state, circuit architecture, medication, and behavior. Motor-system measures are not validated as universal biomarkers for nonmotor cortex, and no single validated biomarker captures TMS-induced plasticity. Convergent, controlled multimodal evidence may strengthen inference about target engagement; adaptive and closed-loop approaches remain experimental.

conclusionsGeometric delivery, modeled exposure, biological engagement, and durable functional or clinical benefit require separate validation. Spatial accuracy alone does not establish clinical value.

Indexed as

brain connectivitycellular mechanismscortical excitabilityelectric-field modelingnetwork neuroscienceneuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulationrepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationsynaptic plasticity

Identifiers

PMID42793326
PMCPMC13604321

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.