Excessive emotional responses to stressful events can detrimentally affect psychological functioning and mental health. Recent studies have provided evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS) targeting the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can affect the regulation of stress-related emotional responses. However, the reliability and effect sizes have not been systematically analyzed. In the present study, we reviewed and meta-analyzed the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the PFC on acute emotional stress reactivity in healthy individuals. Forty sham-controlled single-session rTMS and tDCS studies were included. Separate random effects models were performed to estimate the mean effect sizes of emotional reactivity. Twelve rTMS studies together showed no evidence that rTMS over the PFC influenced emotional reactivity. Twenty-six anodal tDCS studies yielded a weak beneficial effect on stress-related emotional reactivity (Hedges' g = -0.16, CI95% = [-0.33, 0.00]). These findings suggest that a single session of NBS is insufficient to induce reliable, clinically significant effects but also provide preliminary evidence that specific NBS methods can affect emotional reactivity. This may motivate further research into augmenting the efficacy of NBS protocols on stress-related processes.

中文翻译：

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非侵入性脑刺激会调节情绪应激反应性吗？

对压力事件的过度情绪反应会不利地影响心理功能和心理健康。最近的研究提供了证据，针对前额叶皮层（PFC）的非侵入性脑刺激（NBS）可以影响与压力相关的情绪反应的调节。但是，可靠性和效果的大小尚未系统地分析。在本研究中，我们回顾并荟萃分析了经PFC反复经颅磁（rTMS）和经颅直流电（tDCS）对健康个体急性情感应激反应的影响。包括40个假对照单疗程rTMS和tDCS研究。进行单独的随机效应模型以估计情绪反应的平均效应大小。十二项rTMS研究在一起，没有证据表明rTMS优于PFC会影响情绪反应。二十六个阳极tDCS研究对压力相关的情绪反应性产生了微弱的有益作用（Hedges'g = -0.16，CI95％= [-0.33，0.00]）。这些发现表明，单次NBS不足以诱发可靠的，临床上显着的效果，但也提供了特定NBS方法可以影响情绪反应性的初步证据。这可能会激发进一步的研究，以增强NBS协议在与压力相关的过程中的功效。具有临床意义，但也提供了特定的NBS方法可以影响情绪反应的初步证据。这可能会激发进一步的研究，以增强NBS协议在与压力相关的过程中的功效。具有临床意义，但也提供了特定的NBS方法可以影响情绪反应的初步证据。这可能会激发进一步的研究，以增强NBS协议在压力相关过程中的功效。