Help

Navigation

Use the navigation bar at the top of the page to access different sections of the database. The main sections are:

• Home - Overview and introduction to NANHA
• Intervention - Therapeutic NIBS studies for NDDs
• Probing - Neurophysiological probing studies
• Target Area - Brain-region-specific studies with 3D visualization
• Download - Download complete datasets
• Acknowledgement - Information on database resources
• Help - This help page

Overview

The Intervention section focuses on therapeutic NIBS studies investigating clinical improvements in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Users can explore outcome distributions across different NIBS modalities and target areas using interactive stacked bar charts reflecting reported improvements across studies.

This section offers two levels of search:

• Basic Search - Simple filtering by key parameters for quick exploration
• Advanced Search - Comprehensive filtering with multiple parameters for specific studies

You can switch between Basic and Advanced modes using the toggle button on each page.

Basic Intervention Search

Users can explore intervention studies by selecting NDDs and NIBS intervention types. The basic search interface provides the following options:

• Disorder Selection - Select at least one of the 17 NDDs. Each disorder displays the total number of studies available in the database. Brief description of the selected disorder(s) are provided, along with a link to its corresponding ICD-11 classification.
• Intervention Type - Select one NIBS modality from TMS, tDCS, tACS, tRNS, or tFUS to filter studies by modality. A brief description of the selected NIBS modality is also provided.
• Visual Results - Stacked bar charts showing the distribution of the number of studies included in the database across different NIBS modalities and targeted brain regions, along with the number of studies reporting improvement following NIBS.

Advanced Intervention Search

The advanced search provides optional filtering options for more specific study retrieval:

• Target Area - Filter studies by specific targeted brain regions.
• Stimulation Model - Filter studies by online or offline stimulation.
• Case Study - Filter studies based on whether they are case studies.
• Control Group - Filter studies based on the presence or absence of a control group.
• Improvement - Filter studies based on whether improvement in the NDD condition was reported following the selected NIBS intervention at the targeted brain region.

Full Form Finder

Many abbreviations are used in the metadata. This section allows users to find the corresponding full forms by entering up to 10 abbreviations separated by commas. The complete list of abbreviations and their full forms is also available for download on the Download page.

Data view

View the related studies in a tabular format and download the data as a CSV file using the ‘Download CSV’ button. Hover over any column name to view its description.

The data can be viewed in the following ways:

• All Data - Access all curated information available for the selected studies.
• Participant Characteristics - View participant-related information for both experimental and control groups.
• Study Design - View study design, targeted brain regions, and their corresponding Brodmann areas and brain lobes.
• NIBS Parameters - View detailed stimulation parameters.
• Tasks & Outcomes - View behavioral and cognitive tasks along with the overall reported outcome across the assessed measures.
• Neurophysiological Changes - View reported neurophysiological changes, including Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) amplitude, Intracortical Inhibition (ICI), Intracortical Facilitation (ICF), Resting Motor Threshold (RMT), Active Motor Threshold (AMT), and other neurophysiological measures.
• Safety & Follow-up - View safety information, including adverse/side effects, follow-up assessments, and long-term effects.

Overview

The Probing section focuses on neurophysiological probing studies that examine brain function through NIBS. These studies use NIBS techniques specifically TMS to investigate neural mechanisms, cognitive processes, and brain connectivity in NDDs.

Disorder Selection

Select at least one of the 17 NDDs. Each disorder displays the total number of studies available in the database. Brief description of the selected disorder(s) are provided, along with a link to its corresponding ICD-11 classification.

Study filtration

Apply Filter provides optional filtering options for more specific study retrieval:

• Target Area - Filter studies by specific targeted brain regions.
• Stimulation Model - Filter studies by online or offline stimulation.
• Case Study - Filter studies based on whether they are case studies.
• Control Group - Filter studies based on the presence or absence of a control group.
• Neuronavigation Guided - Filter studies based on whether neuronavigation was used during stimulation.

Full Form Finder

Same functionality as the Intervention Search (see here).

Data view

Same functionality as the Intervention Search (see here).

Overview

The Target Area section allows users to explore brain region-specific NIBS applications through an interactive 3D glass brain visualization. Users can select one or more brain regions to view studies targeting those regions using a selected NIBS modality, with the option to further filter the results by one or more NDDs.

Target Area selection

• Brain Opacity - Adjust the opacity of the 3D brain visualization to improve the visibility of the displayed brain shell and Brodmann areas.
• Anatomical Views - Change the viewing angle of the 3D brain to Left, Right, Front, Back, or Top views.
• Targeted Hemisphere - Filter studies by the targeted hemisphere: Left, Right, Bilateral, or All.
• Select Target Area - Select one or more target regions from the selection menu based on the reported target area or its corresponding Brodmann area(s) (BAs). BAs and the cerebellum can also be explored directly using the interactive 3D brain visualization. When one or more BAs are selected, studies targeting regions mapped to at least one of the selected BAs are displayed.

Distribution of NIBS Modalities and NDDs

Bar and pie charts showing the distribution of studies across different NIBS modalities and NDDs. The charts dynamically update based on the selected modality and display the corresponding number and proportion of studies.

Study filtration

Apply Filter provides filtering options for specific study retrieval:

• NIBS Modality (Mandatory Selection) – Select one NIBS modality from TMS, tDCS, tACS, tRNS, or tFUS to filter studies by modality.
• NIBS Purpose - Filter studies by Intervention, Probing or All.
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Filter the studies based on one or more NDDs from the 22 disorders.
• Stimulation Model - Filter studies by online or offline stimulation.
• Improvement - Filter studies based on whether improvement in the NDD condition was reported following the selected NIBS intervention at the targeted brain region. “Yes” and “No” apply to intervention studies, while “Not Applicable” is used for probing studies.

Full Form Finder

Same functionality as the Intervention Search (see here).

Data view

Same functionality as the Intervention Search (see here).