{
  "abstract": "Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in reducing seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy, synthesising evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs).Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020 guidelines.Setting Literature search across international (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar) and Iranian (SID, Magiran, IranMedex) databases.Participants Adult patients diagnosed with epilepsy, including those with drug-resistant focal epilepsy, from 14 included RCTs (total n=516).Interventions Active low-frequency rTMS (0.3–1 Hz) compared with sham stimulation or active control (eg, antiepileptic drug therapy).Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the mean change in weekly seizure frequency analysed using standardised mean difference (SMD).Results From 1952 retrieved records, 14 RCTs were reviewed and 8 were meta-analysed (n=367). The pooled analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in seizure frequency favouring rTMS (SMD=−0.46, 95% CI −0.57 to −0.34, p=0.001, Z=−7.67), with low heterogeneity (I²=0.1%). The combined mean seizures were 6.1 (intervention) versus 7.4 (control) per week. No significant publication bias was detected (Egger’s test p=0.086).Conclusions Low-frequency rTMS demonstrates a significant short-term reduction in seizure frequency. However, the clinical durability of this effect remains uncertain due to limited follow-up in existing trials. Definitive conclusions require larger, standardised RCTs with longer-term outcomes.Trial registration No human participants included.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nursing School, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Leila Poursoleiman"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Fatemeh Bahramnezhad"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Shafiee Sabet Mahdi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran (the Islamic Republic of)",
        "Al-Sebtain University of Medical Sciences, International Branch of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iraq, Karbala, Iraq"
      ],
      "name": "Dehghan Nayeri Nahid"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials (from 1990 to 2025)",
  "uid": "f5bf87c0-49f5-540d-b4d0-d742cb312845"
}