Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of restless legs syndrome

Published October 16, 2026. Four small studies collectively favored rTMS for restless-legs symptom scores and overall sleep quality, but the primary-RLS sleep subgroup was not significant and larger randomized trials are needed.

Dong Z, Zhang X, Zhang J, Yuan J, Li H, Tang W, Jiang W, Xu W.
Medicine · Publication date: 2026-10-16
Added to site: 2026-10-18
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000051088

Published October 16, 2026. Added to Neurofeedback.com October 18, 2026.

Modalities

rTMS, TMS

Clinical focus

Restless legs syndrome, Sleep quality, Evidence synthesis

Population

People with restless legs syndrome, including primary and Parkinson disease-associated subtypes

Sample

4 studies; total participant count was not reported in the checked abstract

Intervention / method

The review searched five English- and Chinese-language databases through May 1, 2026 and pooled studies comparing low- or high-frequency rTMS with sham stimulation.

Comparator

Active rTMS versus sham stimulation across included studies

Clinician summary

Pooled results favored rTMS for IRLS-RS scores (MD 6.46, 95% CI 4.44 to 8.48) and PSQI scores (MD 4.80, 95% CI 3.51 to 6.08). The primary-RLS PSQI subgroup was null (MD 1.86, 95% CI -2.65 to 6.37), and anxiety and depression measures did not improve.

How to interpret the findings

Only four studies were included, and the abstract does not provide the pooled denominator, risk-of-bias results, heterogeneity estimates, protocol consistency or adverse-event synthesis. Subgroup findings are especially fragile. The favorable pooled effects need confirmation in larger rigorous randomized trials.

Equipment and disclosures

Stimulation-system manufacturers were not identified in the checked abstract. No BrainMaster attribution.

Supported by the Open Research Project of Key Laboratories in Jiangsu Province Universities, grant XZSYSKF2023022. The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No indexed correction, retraction or concern notice appeared in the retained PubMed or Crossref records; this is a bounded check. AI-assisted review.

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