Cited by 319Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchTraumatic Brain Injury Research

A systematic review and meta-analysis of rTMS effects on cognitive enhancement in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

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Chou, Ying-hui, Ton That, Viet, Sundman, Mark·2020·Neurobiology of Aging

Abstract

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, has emerged as a promising treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Currently, however, the effectiveness of this therapy is unclear because of the low statistical power and heterogeneity of previous trials. The purpose of the meta-analysis was to systematically characterize the effectiveness of various combinations of rTMS parameters on different cognitive domains in patients with MCI and AD. Thirteen studies comprising 293 patients with MCI or AD were included in this analysis. Random-effects analysis revealed an overall medium-to-large effect size (0.77) favoring active rTMS over sham rTMS in the improvement of cognitive functions. Subgroup analyses revealed that (1) high-frequency rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and low-frequency rTMS at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex significantly improved memory functions; (2) high-frequency rTMS targeting the right inferior frontal gyrus significantly enhanced executive performance; and (3) the effects of 5-30 consecutive rTMS sessions could last for 4-12 weeks. Potential mechanisms of rTMS effects on cognitive functions are discussed.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.08.020

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  • Evidence supports pro-cognitive effects of TMS in healthy individuals and in patients with neurologic and psychiatric illnesses such as mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, stroke, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

    “Evidence supports the pro-cognitive effects of TMS in healthy individuals (Luber & Lisanby, 2014) and in patients with neurologic and psychiatric illnesses such as mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (Cheng et al., 2018;Chou et al., 2020;Lin et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2020), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; Chou et al., 2020;Drumond Marra et al., 2015;Jiang et al., 2021), stroke (M.Liu et al., 2021”

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  1. Borenstein M, Hedges LV, Higgins JPT, Rothstein HR 2009 Publication bias. Introduction to meta-analysis John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK.

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Authors
Chou, Y.-H., Ton That, V., & Sundman, M.
Affiliations
University of Arizona (US)
Corresponding author
Chou, Ying-hui
Venue
Neurobiology of Aging
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-02
Volume
86
Pages
1-10
ISSN
0197-4580 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2970043376
Cited by
319
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 34 · 2025: 66 · 2024: 62 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 47 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 8
FWCI
2.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neurobiology of Aging (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Arizona
  • Shell United States (PI: Y-hC)
  • National Institutes of Health (Y-hC)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Keywords
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive enhancement, high-frequency rTMS, low-frequency rTMS, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, memory, executive function, treatment duration
MeSH terms
Alzheimer Disease, Cognition, Humans, Memory, Prefrontal Cortex, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Cognitive Dysfunction

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