The effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive impairment in depression: A systematic review and...

Cognition is commonly compromised in depression, and non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been well-established in the treatment of depression, but its efficacy for treating cognitive deficit has not been fully elucidated. Based on the available evidence on NIBS, we conducted a meta-analysis to systematically assess the efficacy of NIBS in improving cognitive deficits in depressed patients.

A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases up to February 20, 2025. we separately assessed the effects on: global cognitive function, learning and memory, working memory, language, psychomotor speed, attention, visuospatial ability, and domains of executive function (including attentional switching, verbal fluency, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility).

A total of 23 randomized controlled trials (n = 1267) were included in this study. Analyses showed that NIBS produced significant improvement in the domains of global cognitive function (SMD=0.24, 95 % CI [0.03, 0.46]) and learning and memory (SMD=0.46, 95 % CI [0.06, 0.85]). Subgroup analyses showed that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was significantly better than the placebo control group in terms of global cognitive function improvement (SMD=0.32, 95 % CI [0.07, 0.57]). However, other cognitive dimensions showed no significant improvement with NIBS CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that NIBS has significant efficacy on global cognitive function, learning and memory in depressed patients. Effects on other domains were not significant. Future high-quality studies are needed to validate which stimulation programs are most effective.