Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and drug addiction

Abstract

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that is now being tested for its ability to treat addiction. This review discusses current research approaches and results of studies which measured the therapeutic use of rTMS to treat tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug addiction. The research in this area is limited and therefore all studies evaluating the therapeutic use of rTMS in tobacco, alcohol or illicit drug addiction were retained including case studies through NCBI PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and manual searches. A total of eight studies were identifi ed that examined the ability of rTMS to treat tobacco, alcohol and cocaine addiction. The results of this review indicate that rTMS is effective in reducing the level of cravings for smoking, alcohol, and cocaine when applied at high frequencies to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Furthermore, these studies suggest that repeated sessions of high frequency rTMS over the DLPFC may be most effective in reducing the level of smoking and alcohol consumption. Although work in this area is limited, this review indicates that rTMS is a promising modality for treating drug addiction.

Therapeutic Opportunities for Self-Control Repair in Addiction and Related Disorders

“…Initial findings suggest that TMS is a potential therapeutic target for self-control deficits, and an aid for individuals entering drug addiction recovery (see Barr et al, 2011, for a review). To date, only one study has investigated the effects of TMS on both drug use and self-control.…”

Deleterious Effects of a Low Amount of Ethanol on LTP-Like Plasticity in Human Cortex

“…Basic experiments suggested that this is caused by facilitation rather than inhibition of LTP in the presence of high concentrations of EtOH (100 mM) and that blockade of this aberrant LTP facilitation can attenuate operant self-administration of EtOH in rats (Wang et al, 2007). TMS can be used to investigate and therapeutically interfere with this aberrant plasticity in alcohol addicts (Barr et al, 2011;Naim-Feil and Zangen, 2013).…”

Low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex transiently increases cue-induced craving for methamphetamine: A preliminary study

“…We only used low frequency stimulation, as we presumed that low frequency TMS would be safest due to the association of MA with increased seizure susceptibility (Slamberova et al, 2011). Future work should evaluate the effects and safety of higher frequencies (e.g., 10 and 20 Hz) in MA-dependent populations, as these higher frequencies have been used to treat other drug addictions (Barr et al, 2011; Feil and Zangen, 2010). Also, an increased number of stimuli may be warranted in future craving studies.…”

“…While some studies have shown potential efficacy in treating some aspects of drug addiction (Barr et al, 2011; Feil and Zangen, 2010), it has not been studied before in MA addiction. As noted above, low frequency (≤1 Hz) rTMS inhibits neuronal firing in a localized area and is used to induce virtual lesions in order to examine a brain region’s role in different tasks (Chen et al, 1997; Iyer et al, 2003), while high frequency rTMS (≥5 Hz) tends to be excitatory and can cause an increase in neuronal depolarization under the stimulating coil (Haraldsson et al, 2004).…”