Abstract

Overview

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are noninvasive neuromodulation techniques used as therapeutic and research tools for several neuropsychiatric conditions. This study aimed to systematically review the most cited clinical trials using TMS or tDCS.

Key Findings

• A systematic keyword search strategy was used to identify and characterize the 100 most-cited trials.
• The most cited trials had a total citation count of 13,204.
• Articles were published between 2008 and 2014 in 50 different journals.
• The median impact factor of the journals was 6.52 (IQR 3.37).
• Almost half of the top cited papers investigated mechanisms of actions in healthy subjects.
• Most studies were feasibility studies; only 5 were pivotal trials, some of which were used for FDA approval.

Expert Commentary

Despite the significant increase in interest for rTMS and tDCS, most of the cited clinical trials are still small feasibility studies. This reinforces the need for more robust clinical trials (larger sample sizes and effect sizes) to better define clinical effectiveness.