Neurostimulation in the treatment of psychiatric disorders: Underlying mechanisms and critical analysis of circuit-based interventions.

The review explains why targeting brain circuits is promising while emphasizing that mechanisms and translation remain incomplete. It is not a new clinical trial or proof that one modality is best.

Bambico FR, Nicoglou A, Relente J, Surget A, Belzung C.
Molecular psychiatry · Publication date: 2026-09-21
Added to site: 2026-09-24
DOI: 10.1038/s41380-026-03872-1

Electronic publication date verified in Europe PMC; first indexed 2026-09-22. This source date is separate from the site's addition date.

Modalities

TMS, tDCS, DBS, tFUS

Clinical focus

Psychiatric disorders, Neural circuits, Mechanisms

Population

Evidence across psychiatric neurostimulation research

Sample

Narrative literature review; study count was not reported in the abstract

Intervention / method

Review of circuit, cellular and subcellular mechanisms for TMS, tDCS, DBS and transcranial focused ultrasound

Comparator

Not applicable

Clinician summary

The authors connect large-scale circuits with cellular mechanisms, survey emerging targets and methods, and critically examine the limits of translating circuit models into psychiatric care.

How to interpret the findings

Narrative review without a reported systematic search, study denominator or pooled effect estimates in the checked abstract. Mechanistic plausibility and increasing clinical evidence do not establish comparative efficacy, individualized target validity or benefit for every disorder.

Equipment and disclosures

Multiple stimulation modalities and devices reviewed; no vendor-specific efficacy established.

Funding and competing-interest details were not available in the checked indexed record.

Related evidence

Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.