tDCS in Addiction and Impulse Control Disorders

Abstract

The study of addiction and impulsion control disorders has shown that behaviors of seeking and consumption of addictive substances are subserved by neurobiological alterations specifically related to brain networks for reward, stress, and executive control, representing the brain's adaptation to the continued use of an addictive substance. In parallel, studies using neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have demonstrated promising effects in modulating cognitive and motor functions. This review aims to describe the neurobiology of addiction and some of the most relevant cognitive models of addictive behavior and to clarify how tDCS application modulates the intake and craving for several addictive substances, such as food, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and cannabis. We also discuss the positive and null outcomes of the use of this neuromodulatory technique in the treatment of addiction disorders resulting from the use of these substances. The reviewed findings lead us to conclude that tDCS interventions hold several promising clinical avenues in addiction and impulsive control. However, methodological investigations are necessary for undercover optimal parameters before implementing its clinical application.

Repeated stimulation of the dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex improves executive dysfunctions and craving in drug addiction: A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study

“…The latter system is suggested to be compromised in drug addiction [7]. Modulating cortical activity in the involved brain regions by non-invasive brain stimulation may be useful in order to directly target and alter involved neurocircuits in SUD [11], and may further allow deriving causal relations between cortical brain regions and respective behaviours [12]. Neuromodulation studies that monitor treatmentrelevant variables might therefore be useful for developing innovative treatments for addiction.…”

“…Previous tDCS studies focusing on methamphetamine use disorder [30,31] and other drug addictions [12,13] have targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as the primary target for stimulation. The rationale for targeting this site considers that (1) DLPFC is involved in spontaneous and cue-elicited craving, (2) DLPFC is involved in EFs related to addictive behaviors (i.e., decision making, response inhibition, risk-taking, attentional bias), and (3) DLPFC stimulation may affect the reward circuitry spanning into the deeper layers of the cortex via efferents to the nucleus accumbens (NA) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) [11,32].…”

Addiction: Brain and Cognitive Stimulation for Better Cognitive Control and Far Beyond

“…Coupling brain stimulation with other pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions may provide further knowledge about individual brain oscillation states across several montages and voltages as well as long-term structural and functional effects of brain stimulation on addicted patients [187]. These proposals will certainly make better use of brain stimulation techniques and therefore optimize their clinical effects ( Table 1).…”

Mindfulness‐Based Relapse Prevention and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Reduce Heavy Drinking: A Double‐Blind Sham‐Controlled Randomized Trial

“…Active tDCS versus sham has been shown to enhance the effects of cognitive training in a number of domains, including inhibitory control, memory, attention, and other forms of cognition (Coffman et al., ). There have been over 250 clinical trials using tDCS for a variety of disorders and diseases, and there are also preliminary data suggesting tDCS has an effect on addictive disorders (Boggio et al., ; Coles et al., ; Feil and Zangen, ; Lapenta et al., ; Spagnolo and Goldman, ; Trojak et al., ). Specifically, tDCS has been shown to impact inhibitory control (Levasseur‐Moreau and Fecteau, ; Stramaccia et al., ), and cue reactivity and craving (Jansen et al., ; Nardone et al., ).…”