Evidence mapPaperPMID 40138289Full record

Trial reportPloS one2025

Impact of transcranial alternating current stimulation on psychological stress: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

M N Afzal Khan, Yara Badr, Sandra Mary Prasad, Usman Tariq, Fadwa Almughairbi, Fabio Babiloni, Fares Al-Shargie, Hasan Al-Nashash

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Brain Connectivity During Walking and Obstacle Avoidance in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls: A Pilot EEG Study.IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society · 2025
    Article
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

8 authors.

M N Afzal KhanDepartment of Electrical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Yara BadrBiosciences and Bioengineering Graduate Program, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Sandra Mary PrasadBiosciences and Bioengineering Graduate Program, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8725-7487
Usman TariqDepartment of Electrical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8244-2165
Fadwa AlmughairbiDepartment of Cognitive Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Fabio BabiloniDepartment Molecular Medicine, University of Sapienza Rome, Rome, Italy.
Fares Al-ShargieRutgers University, Newark, United State of America.
Hasan Al-NashashDepartment of Electrical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9685-4937

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This pilot study investigates the impact of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on psychological stress using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Forty volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups: the tACS and the control. The experiment was divided into three distinct stages: pre-stimulation, stimulation, and post-stimulation. The Stroop Color-Word Task (SCWT) was employed as a validated stress-inducing paradigm to assess pre- and post-stimulation changes. During the initial phase, the participants completed the SCWT. This was followed by either tACS or sham. In the third session, the individuals solved the task again. The anode and cathode for the transcranial tACS were placed on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). tACS, was applied with current intensity of 1.5 mA at 16 Hz over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), aimed to modulate cortical activation and mitigate stress. Sham included 5-second ramp periods. Physiological data using alpha amylase and the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) were utilized. The results revealed significant hemodynamic changes and reduced stress levels in the tACS group compared to the sham group (p <  0.001). The connectivity network changed significantly (p <  0.001) following tACS. In addition, the NASA-TLX results showed a statistically significant difference between the pre-and post-tACS sessions. In contrary, no statistical significance was noticed for the sham control group. An increase in the blood flow in the prefrontal cortex region of the brain was observed, demonstrating the potential of tACS as a non-invasive neuromodulation technique for stress mitigation.

Indexed as

Stress, PsychologicalTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdultDorsolateral Prefrontal CortexFemaleHemodynamicsHumansMalePilot ProjectsPrefrontal CortexSpectroscopy, Near-InfraredStroop TestYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID40138289
PMCPMC11940684

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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 Socratic graph.