Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36533133›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in molecular neuroscience2022

Is transcranial direct current stimulation beneficial for treating pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Yu-Rong Wen, Jian Shi, Zheng-Yu Hu, Yang-Yang Lin, You-Tian Lin, Xue Jiang, Rui Wang, Xue-Qiang Wang, Yu-Ling Wang

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05757609 (Innovative Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in the Rehabilitation of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
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.

NCT05757609 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Innovative Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in the Rehabilitation of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

TypeinterventionalSponsorStephane ARMANDRan2023 to 2026Enrolled48ConditionsChronic Low Back PainArmsAnodal tDCS combined with active physiotherapy, Sham anodal tDCS combined with active physiotherapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Comparative efficacy of common rehabilitation treatments for patients with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Pooled it
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  15. Targeting Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction in Pain.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2024
    Review
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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

9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Yu-Rong WenDepartment of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Jian ShiCollege of Kinesiology, Shenyang Sport University, Shenyang, China.
Zheng-Yu HuCollege of Kinesiology, Shenyang Sport University, Shenyang, China.
Yang-Yang LinRehabilitation Medicine Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
You-Tian LinRehabilitation Medicine Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Xue JiangDepartment of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Rui WangDepartment of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Xue-Qiang WangDepartment of Sport Rehabilitation, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Yu-Ling WangRehabilitation Medicine Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Shanghai University of Sport · CNSun Yat-sen University · CNGuangzhou Sport University · CNShanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital · CNShenyang Sport University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is often accompanied by emotional dysfunction. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used for reducing pain, depressive and anxiety symptoms in chronic pain patients, but its therapeutic effect remains unknown. Objectives: To ascertain the treatment effect of tDCS on pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms of patients suffering from chronic pain, and potential factors that modulate the effectiveness of tDCS. Methods: Literature search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to July 2022. Randomized controlled trials that reported the effects of tDCS on pain and depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with chronic pain were included. Results: Twenty-two studies were included in this review. Overall pooled results indicated that the use of tDCS can effectively alleviate short-term pain intensity [standard mean difference (SMD): -0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.75 to -0.12, Conclusion: tDCS may be an effective short-term treatment for the improvement of pain intensity and concomitant depression and anxiety symptoms in chronic pain patients. Stimulation site, stimulation frequency, and type of chronic pain were significant influence factors for the therapeutic effect of tDCS. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=297693, identifier: CRD42022297693.

Indexed as

anxietychronic paindepressionmeta-analysisnon-invasive brain stimulationsystematic reviewtranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID36533133
PMCPMC9752114
OpenAlexW4311065980

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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 Socratic graph.