SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2026
Combined repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and mirror therapy for upper limb rehabilitation in stroke survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Upper limb impairments are among the most prevalent consequences of stroke. Recently, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and mirror therapy (MT) have been used in stroke rehabilitation. This systematic review aims to examine the effects of combining rTMS and MT on the upper limb in patients with stroke and define the optimal treatment parameters, if possible. "PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, PEDro, EMBASE, REHABDATA, and Web of Science" were searched until March 2026. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of combined rTMS and MT on the upper limb poststroke were included. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) and the GRADE were employed to evaluate risk of bias and certainty of evidence, respectively. Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis were performed. Seven RCTs (402 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Significant improvements in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) (SMD = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.43-1.41, p = 0.0002) and the Box and Block Test (BBT) (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.49-1.68, p = 0.0003) were reported. Other outcomes demonstrated improvements in pinch grip, hand grip, functional performance, motor impairment, and muscle tone. The preliminary findings suggest that combining rTMS and MT has potential effects on enhancing upper limb function poststroke; however, these results should be interpreted with caution. The most effective treatment parameters remain unclear. Further high-quality studies are warranted.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42809058What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.