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REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.

Sec. Clinical Diabetes

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1621448

Review of Nonpharmacological Interventions for Delaying the Effects of Cerebral Neuropathy Caused by Diabetes

Provisionally accepted
Chi  LeeChi Lee1Chien-Wen  LaiChien-Wen Lai1Shaoyu  YenShaoyu Yen1Chih-Mao  HuangChih-Mao Huang2Zong-Hsin  LiuZong-Hsin Liu3Po-Chi  HuPo-Chi Hu3Lun-De  LiaoLun-De Liao1*
  • 1National Health Research Institutes (Taiwan), Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • 2National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • 3Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a debilitating complication of diabetes that affects nearly half of diabetic patients and manifests as chronic pain, sensory loss, and motor dysfunction. The limited efficacy of traditional pharmacological treatments, coupled with their side effects, has intensified the search for alternative therapies that not only mitigate symptoms but also delay the progression of diabetes-related neural complications.In this review, the potential of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a nonpharmacological intervention for DPN is explored, with a focus on the ability of TMS to delay neural inflammation-a key factor in the progression of DPN-rather than directly treating diabetes. TMS has shown promising results in alleviating neuropathic pain, promoting nerve regeneration, and regulating autonomic nervous function, making it a strong candidate for delaying adverse neural outcomes. Other neuromodulation techniques, such as spinal cord stimulation (SCS), decompression nerve surgery (DNS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have also been examined for their efficacy in treating DPN. While TMS has significant therapeutic potential for protecting neural function and delaying inflammation, further research is needed to optimize treatment protocols and understand their long-term benefits. This review emphasizes the translational potential of neuromodulation technologies in delaying the progression of diabetes-induced neural damage, underscoring the need for further studies to translate these therapies into clinical practice.

Keywords: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), Neural inflammation, Nonpharmacological interventions, Neuromodulation

Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Lee, Lai, Yen, Huang, Liu, Hu and Liao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Lun-De Liao, National Health Research Institutes (Taiwan), Hsinchu, Taiwan

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