脳刺激研究の標準化手法を開発し脳疾患治療の加速に貢献(Brain stimulation offers hope for brain disorders: researchers take key step to accelerate progress)

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2026-07-21 バース大学

英国バース大学の研究チームは、経頭蓋電気刺激(tES)の研究を加速するため、脳刺激条件を標準化して比較・共有できる新たなデータベースと解析フレームワークを開発した。tESは頭皮上から微弱な電流を流して脳活動を調節する非侵襲的技術であり、うつ病、脳卒中後の機能回復、慢性疼痛、認知症などの治療法として期待されている。しかし、これまで研究ごとに電極配置や刺激強度、刺激時間などの条件が大きく異なり、研究成果の再現性や比較が困難であった。研究チームは、多数の既存研究の刺激条件を統一的に整理・可視化し、刺激が脳内のどの領域にどの程度作用するかを比較可能にする基盤を構築した。これにより、研究者は過去の知見を効率的に活用し、より効果的な刺激法の設計や臨床試験の最適化が可能になる。研究成果は、脳刺激研究の再現性向上と標準化を促進するとともに、神経・精神疾患に対する個別化治療の開発を加速する重要な基盤技術として期待されている。

脳刺激研究の標準化手法を開発し脳疾患治療の加速に貢献(Brain stimulation offers hope for brain disorders: researchers take key step to accelerate progress)
TMS is increasingly used to treat conditions such as depression, OCD, chronic pain and smoking cessation.

<関連情報>

経頭蓋磁気刺激報告評価ツール(TMS-RAT)の開発と検証 Development and validation of the transcranial magnetic stimulation reporting assessment tool (TMS-RAT)

Orsolya Székely ∙ Nicholas P. Holmes ∙ Jennifer Ashton ∙ … ∙ Phivos Phylactou ∙ Malgorzata Anna Szymanska ∙ Luigi Tamè
Brain Stimulation  Published: July 10, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2026.103155

Highlights

  • We introduce the TMS-RAT, a reporting (assessment) tool for TMS studies.
  • Developed within a community-informed, iterative process rating 333 TMS studies.
  • Empirically evaluated for usability, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability.
  • A validated subset enables reliable retrospective assessment of reporting.
  • The modular structure enables use across a wide range of TMS study designs.

Abstract

Background
A standardised tool for comprehensive reporting can improve transparency, support consistent documentation, and enable comparison across transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies. To date, the most used reporting checklist lacks definitions of full reporting and was not initially evaluated for usability or reliability.

Methods
We developed the TMS Reporting Assessment Tool (TMS-RAT), a comprehensive reporting framework that provides clear definitions and examples for its items. We tested the usability and reliability of the TMS-RAT by rating all studies published between 1987 and 31st January 2025 using afferent conditioning (n = 333), protocols that encompass many reporting categories identified during tool development. Seventeen independent raters contributed across three development phases, a validation phase, and a retest phase, with naïve raters introduced in each phase. Iterative refinements of the tool were informed by inter-rater reliability, qualitative rater feedback, and consultation with external TMS experts.

Results
We present two versions of the tool: the 72-item TMS-RAT v1.0, designed to guide comprehensive reporting, and the TMS-RAT v1.1, a subset of 50 items with the highest inter-rater (overall AC1 = 0.78, range = [0.60–0.99]) and test-retest reliability (overall AC1 = 0.82, range = [0.65–1.0]), intended for retrospective evaluation of reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The tool has not been validated outside the afferent conditioning literature or on studies not recording motor evoked potentials.

Conclusion
The TMS-RAT is a comprehensive, reliable tool that seeks to improve transparency and reproducibility in TMS research. We aim to extend the tool to cover additional TMS protocols.

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