A randomized placebo-controlled trial of targeted prefrontal cortex modulation with bilateral tDCS in patients with crack-cocaine dependence
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BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex has been shown to be clinically useful in the treatment of drug addiction. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind randomized clinical trial aiming to assess the effects of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (left cathodal/right anodal) on crack-cocaine addiction. We defined craving as the primary outcome, and other clinical measurements, including depressive and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life, as secondary outcomes. Seventeen male crack-cocaine users (mean age 30.4 ± 9.8 SD) were randomized to receive 5 sessions of active transcranial direct current stimulation (2 mA, 35 cm(2), for 20 minutes), every other day, and 19 males (mean age 30.3 ± 8.4 SD) to receive sham-transcranial direct current stimulation (placebo) as control group. RESULTS: Craving scores were significantly reduced in the transcranial direct current stimulation group after treatment when compared with sham-transcranial direct current stimulation (P = .028) and baseline values (P = .003), and decreased linearly over 4 weeks (before, during, and after treatment) in the transcranial direct current stimulation group only (P = .047). Changes of anxiety scores towards increase in the sham-transcranial direct current stimulation and decrease in the transcranial direct current stimulation group (P = .03), and of the overall perception of quality of life (P = .031) and of health (P = .048) towards decrease in the sham-transcranial direct current stimulation group and increase in the transcranial direct current stimulation group differed significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Repetitive bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex reduced craving for crack-cocaine use, decreased anxiety, and improved quality of life. We hypothesize that transcranial direct current stimulation effects may be associated with increased prefrontal processing and regulation of craving behavior.
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In cocaine users, five sessions of tDCS to the DLPFC (left cathodal/right anodal) significantly reduced cocaine craving compared to sham.
“In cocaine users, five sessions of tDCS to the DLPFC (left cathodal/right anodal) significantly reduced cocaine craving when compared to sham [110].”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Batista, E. K., Klauss, J., Fregni, F., Nitsche, M. A., & Nakamura-Palacios, E. M.
- Affiliations
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Nakamura-Palacios, Ester Miyuki
- Venue
- International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2015-06-10
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- pyv066
- ISSN
- 1461-1457 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-5111
- PMC
- PMC4675977
- OpenAlex
- W2260524443
- Cited by
- 144
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 8.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- GRO (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- GoeScholar The Publication Server of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Keywords
- transcranial direct current stimulation, crack cocaine dependence, drug craving, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, non-invasive brain stimulation, anxiety, quality of life, addiction treatment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Depression, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Quality of Life, Severity of Illness Index, Crack Cocaine, Treatment Outcome, Prefrontal Cortex, Cocaine-Related Disorders, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Craving
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