| Objective: To investigate the intervention effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) using meta-analysis. Methods: A computer-based search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database for randomized controlled trial (RCT) on tDCS for NP, from the inception of each database to March 2025. The quality of included literatures was evaluated using the Cochrane Handbook, Revman5.4 software was used for meta-analysis of outcome indicators including pain, depression, and anxiety, and the GRADE system was used to rate the level of evidence for research findings. Results: A total of 19 literatures involving 480 subjects were included. Meta-analysis showed that tDCS significantly reduced pain in NP patients (SMD=-0.55, 95%CI:-0.73, -0.36, P<0.01), with sustained effects at 1-month follow-up (SMD=-0.42, 95%CI:-0.69, -0.15, P<0.01) and 3-month follow-up (SMD=-0.59, 95%CI: -0.94, -0.23, P<0.01). Additionally, tDCS alleviated depression (SMD=-0.44, 95%CI: -0.66, -0.22, P<0.01) as well as anxiety (SMD=-0.43, 95%CI: -0.69, -0.17,P<0.01). Conclusion: tDCS effectively reduces pain, depression, and anxiety in NP patients with good safety. The nature of pain and stimulation site may be important factors affecting the efficacy of tDCS. |
