scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Modulate fMRI Drug Cue Reactivity in Methamphetamine Users: A Randomized Clinical Trial

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed Ekhtiari ◽  
Ghazaleh Soleimani ◽  
Rayus Kuplicki ◽  
Hung-Wen Yeh ◽  
Yoon-Hee Cha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Group Time ◽  
Methamphetamine Use Disorder ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Drug Cue

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been studied as an adjunctive therapeutic option to alter maladaptive cortical excitability, activity, and connectivity associated with chronic substance use via the application of a weak direct current through the brain. The underlying mechanism of action remains ambiguous, however. We present a randomized, triple-blind, sham-controlled, clinical trial with two parallel arms conducted to determine the neural substrates of tDCS effects on drug craving using an fMRI drug cue reactivity paradigm. Sixty participants with methamphetamine use disorder were randomly assigned to two groups: 30 participants to active tDCS (5x7 cm2, 2 mA, for 20 minutes, anode/cathode over the F4/Fp1 in EEG 10-20 standard system) and 30 participants to the sham group. Neuroimaging data of a methamphetamine cue reactivity (MCR) task were collected immediately before and after stimulation with subjective craving assessed before, after, and during fMRI scans. There was a significant reduction in self-reported craving after stimulation (main effect of time) without any significant effect of group, time, or by group-time interaction. Our whole-brain analysis demonstrated that brain activation decreased in all parts of the brain in the second (post-stimulation) MCR imaging session after sham stimulation (habituation) but this uniform decrease did not occur throughout the brain in the active group. There were significant interactions between the group (active vs. sham) and time (after vs. before stimulation) in five main regions; medial frontal gyrus, anterior insula, inferior parietal lobule, precuneus, and inferior frontal gyrus with higher activations after active stimulation. We simulated computational head models for each individual. There was a significant effect of group in the relationship between level of current in the above-mentioned significant clusters and changes in task-modulated activation. We also found that brain regions with the highest electric fields in the prefrontal cortex showed a significant time by group interaction in task-modulated connectivity (psychophysiological interaction during MCR) in the frontoparietal network. In this two-parallel-arms triple-blind randomized control trial, we did not find any significant effect of the one session of active F4/Fp1 tDCS on drug craving self-report compared to sham stimulation. However, connectivity differences induced by active compared to sham stimulation suggested some potential mechanisms of tDCS to modulate neural response to drug cues among people with methamphetamine use disorder.

scholarly journals A New Approach to Assess Blinding for Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment in Patients with Fibromyalgia. A Randomized Clinical Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1335
Author(s):  
Rubén Arroyo-Fernández ◽  
Juan Avendaño-Coy ◽  
Rafael Velasco-Velasco ◽  
Rocío Palomo-Carrión ◽  
Elisabeth Bravo-Esteban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trial ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

Correct blinding is essential for preventing potential biases. The aim of this study was to assess the blinding of participants and a therapist following treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation in subjects with fibromyalgia using James’ and Bang’s blinding indexes. Eighty subjects were randomly allocated either active or sham stimulation groups in an intervention of five sessions lasting 20 min each. A questionnaire was delivered to both the therapist and patients after the last session to record their guess of which treatment had been applied. No differences between the groups were noted at baseline in terms of demographic or clinical data. James’ BI was 0.83 (CI 95%: 0.76–0.90) for the patients and 0.55 (CI 95%: 0.45–0.64) for the therapist. Bang’s BI for subjects was −0.08 (CI 95%: −0.24–0.09) and −0.8 (CI 95%: −0.26–0.1) for the active and sham transcranial direct current stimulation groups, respectively. Bang’s BI for the therapist was 0.21 (CI 95%: −0.02–0.43) and 0.13 (CI 95%: −0.09–0.35) for the active and sham transcranial direct current stimulation groups, respectively. Protocols of active and sham transcranial direct current stimulation applied in this study have shown satisfactory blinding of the therapist and subjects with fibromyalgia.

scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic offenders: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Silva Sergiou ◽  
Adam J Woods ◽  
Ingmar H.A. Franken ◽  
Josanne D.M. van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Abstract Background Recent studies show that changes in one of the brain areas related to empathic abilities (i.e. the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)) plays an important role in violent behavior in abusers of alcohol and cocaine. According to the models of James Blair, empathy is a potential inhibitor of violent behavior. Individuals with less empathic abilities may be less susceptible and motivated to inhibit violent behavior, which causes a higher risk of violence. Recent neuroscientific research shows that modulating (stimulation or inhibition) certain brain areas could be a promising new intervention for substance abuse and to reduce violent behavior, such as the neurostimulation technique Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). This study aims to investigate tDCS as an intervention to increase empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic substance use offenders. Methods/design A total sample of 50 male forensic substance abuse patients (25 active + 25 sham stimulation) will be tested in a double-blind placebo-controlled study, from which half of the patients will receive an active stimulation + treatment as usual (TAU) and the other half will receive a sham stimulation (placebo) + TAU. The patients in the active condition will receive multichannel tDCS stimulation targeting bilateral vmPFC two times a day for 20 minutes for five consecutive days. Before and after the stimulation period, the patients will complete self-report measurements, perform the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) and a passive viewing empathy task. Resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) will be measured before and after the treatment period. A follow-up will be conducted after six months. Primary outcome is to investigate multichannel tDCS as a new intervention to increase empathic abilities and wit that reduce violent behavior in offenders with substance abuse problems. In addition, it will be studied whether electrophysiological responses in the brain are affected by the tDCS intervention. Lastly the effects of tDCS on reducing craving will be investigated. Discussion This study is one of the first studies using multichannel tDCS targeting the vmPFC in a forensic sample. This study will explore the opportunities to introduce a new intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violence in forensic substance use offenders. Specifically, this study may give insight in how to implement the tDCS intervention in the setting of daily clinical practice for this complex, multiple problem target group and with that contribute to reduction of recidivism. Trial registration Dutch Trial Register, identifier: NTR7701. Registered on 12 January 2019; prospectively registered before the recruitment phase. Recruitment started on the 1st of February 2019 and approximitaly will be finished in the winter of 2019. https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7459.| Protcol version 1. 22th of May 2019.

scholarly journals Cue-Induced Craving and Negative Emotion Disrupt Response Inhibition in Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Behavioral and fMRI Results from a Mixed Go/No-Go Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amirhossein Dakhili ◽  
Arshiya Sangchooli ◽  
Sara Jafakesh ◽  
Mehran Zare-Bidoky ◽  
Ghazaleh Soleimani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Biomarker Discovery ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Addictive Disorders ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Methamphetamine Use Disorder ◽  
Drug Cue

Background: Drug-related cue-reactivity, dysfunctional negative emotion processing, and response-disinhibition constitute three core aspects of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). These phenomena have been studied independently, but the neuroscientific literature on their interaction in addictive disorders remains scant. Methods: fMRI data were collected from 62 individuals with MUD when responding to the geometric Go or No-Go cues superimposed over blank, neutral, negative-emotional and drug-related background images. Neural correlates of drug and negative-emotional cue-reactivity, response-inhibition, and response-inhibition during drug and negative-emotional blocks were estimated, and methamphetamine cue-reactivity was compared between MUDs and 23 healthy controls (HCs). Relationships between clinical and behavioral characteristics and observed activations were subsequently investigated. Results: MUDs had longer reaction times and more errors in drug and negative-emotional blocks compared to neutral and blank ones. MUDs showed higher drug cue-reactivity than HCs across prefrontal regions, fusiform gyrus, and visual cortices (Z>3.1, p-corrected<0.05). Response-inhibition was associated with activations in the precuneus, inferior parietal lobule, and anterior cingulate, temporal and inferior frontal gyri (Z>3.1, p-corrected<0.05). Response-inhibition in drug cue blocks coincided with higher activations in the visual cortex and lower activations in the paracentral lobule and superior and inferior frontal gyri, while inhibition during negative-emotional blocks led to higher superior parietal, fusiform, and lateral occipital activations (Z>3.1, p-corrected<0.05). Conclusion: Higher visual cortical activations and lower parietal and prefrontal activations during drug-related response-inhibition suggest the down-regulation of inhibitory regions and up-regulation of bottom-up drug cue-reactivity. Our results suggest that drug and negative-emotional cue-reactivity influence response-inhibition, and the study of these interactions may aid mechanistic understandings of addiction and biomarker discovery.

scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic offenders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trail.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Silva Sergiou ◽  
Adam J Woods ◽  
Ingmar H.A. Franken ◽  
Josanne D.M. van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Recent studies show that changes in one of the brain areas related to empathic abilities (i.e. the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)) plays an important role in violent behavior in abusers of alcohol and cocaine. According to the models of James Blair, empathy is a potential inhibitor of violent behavior. Individuals with less empathic abilities may be less susceptible and motivated to inhibit violent behavior, which causes a higher risk of violence. Recent neuroscientific research shows that modulating (stimulation or inhibition) certain brain areas could be a promising new intervention for substance abuse and to reduce violent behavior, such as the neurostimulation technique Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). This study aims to investigate tDCS as an intervention to increase empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic substance use offenders. Methods/design A total sample of 50 male forensic substance abuse patients (25 active + 25 sham stimulation) will be tested in a double-blind placebo-controlled study, from which half of the patients will receive an active stimulation + treatment as usual (TAU) and the other half will receive a sham stimulation (placebo) + TAU. The patients in the active condition will receive multichannel tDCS stimulation targeting bilateral vmPFC two times a day for 20 minutes for five consecutive days. Before and after the stimulation period, the patients will complete self-report measurements, perform the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) and a passive viewing empathy task. Resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) will be measured before and after the treatment period. A follow-up will be conducted after six months. Primary outcome is to investigate multichannel tDCS as a new intervention to increase empathic abilities and wit that reduce violent behavior in offenders with substance abuse problems. In addition, it will be studied whether electrophysiological responses in the brain are affected by the tDCS intervention. Lastly the effects of tDCS on reducing craving will be investigated. Discussion This study protocol describes the design of an intervention using multichannel tDCS targeting the vmPFC. This study will explore the opportunities to introduce a new intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violence in forensic substance use offenders. In addition, this study may help to reduce craving. The study will contribute to knowledge about increasing empathic abilities and the functioning of the vmPFC. Specifically, this study may give insight in how to implement the tDCS intervention in the setting of daily clinical practice for this complex, multiple problem target group and with that contribute to reduction of recidivism. Trial registration Dutch Trial Register, identifier: NTR7701. Registered on 12 January 2019; prospectively registered before the recruitment phase. https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7459

scholarly journals Visual Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Patients: A Double-Blinded Randomized Exploratory Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Angelito Braulio F. de Venecia ◽  
Shane M. Fresnoza
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Residual Vision ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a severe complication of diabetes. PDR-related retinal hemorrhages often lead to severe vision loss. The main goals of management are to prevent visual impairment progression and improve residual vision. We explored the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance residual vision. tDCS applied to the primary visual cortex (V1) may improve visual input processing from PDR patients’ retinas. Eleven PDR patients received cathodal tDCS stimulation of V1 (1 mA for 10 min), and another eleven patients received sham stimulation (1 mA for 30 s). Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) scores) and number acuity (reaction times (RTs) and accuracy rates (ARs)) were measured before and immediately after stimulation. The LogMAR scores and the RTs of patients who received cathodal tDCS decreased significantly after stimulation. Cathodal tDCS has no significant effect on ARs. There were no significant changes in the LogMAR scores, RTs, and ARs of PDR patients who received sham stimulation. The results are compatible with our proposal that neuronal noise aggravates impaired visual function in PDR. The therapeutic effect indicates the potential of tDCS as a safe and effective vision rehabilitation tool for PDR patients.

scholarly journals Can Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhance Functionality in Older Adults? A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 2981
Author(s):  
Andrés Pino-Esteban ◽  
Álvaro Megía-García ◽  
David Martín-Caro Álvarez ◽  
Hector Beltran-Alacreu ◽  
Juan Avendaño-Coy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Potential Benefits

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, easy to administer, well-tolerated, and safe technique capable of affecting brain excitability, both at the cortical and cerebellum levels. However, its effectiveness has not been sufficiently assessed in all population segments or clinical applications. This systematic review aimed at compiling and summarizing the currently available scientific evidence about the effect of tDCS on functionality in older adults over 60 years of age. A search of databases was conducted to find randomized clinical trials that applied tDCS versus sham stimulation in the above-mentioned population. No limits were established in terms of date of publication. A total of 237 trials were found, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Finally, nine studies were analyzed, including 260 healthy subjects with average age between 61.0 and 85.8 years. Seven of the nine included studies reported superior improvements in functionality variables following the application of tDCS compared to sham stimulation. Anodal tDCS applied over the motor cortex may be an effective technique for improving balance and posture control in healthy older adults. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to determine the most effective protocols and to clarify potential benefits for older adults.

Transcranial direct current stimulation: Adverse effects and the efficacy of a commonly utilised sham protocol

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S374-S374 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kortteenniemi ◽  
T. Ali-Sisto ◽  
J. Wikgren ◽  
S. Lehto
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cohen’S D ◽  
Cohen's D

IntroductionTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising neuromodulation method that has, for example, been used to treat depression. Nevertheless, the adverse effects of tDCS and the validity of the current standard tDCS sham protocols have received limited attention.ObjectivesTo evaluate the extent and types of tDCS adverse effects and to assess the reliability of sham stimulation as a control procedure for tDCS in a double-blind setting.AimsTo compare adverse effects between tDCS and sham stimulation groups, and to determine how well the participants and the experimenter are able to distinguish tDCS from sham stimulation.MethodsA sample of healthy volunteers received a 20-minute session of either tDCS (n = 41; 2 mA) or sham stimulation (n = 41; ramp up 15 s, ramp down 15 s; no current in between). The anode was placed over F3 and cathode over F4. Both the participants and the experimenter reported immediate adverse effects and the perceived likelihood for the participant to receive tDCS. Analyses were conducted using the Mann–Whitney U-test.ResultsThe tDCS group reported more erythema compared with the sham group (P = 0.016, Cohen's D = 0.444). No other significant differences in adverse effects were observed. In the tDCS group, both the participants (P = 0.034, Cohen's D = 0.612) and the experimenter (P = 0.006, Cohen's D = 0.674) reported a higher perceived likelihood of the participant receiving tDCS than in the sham group.ConclusionstDCS has only modest adverse effects. Nevertheless, the current standard sham protocol appears insufficient.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Converging Evidence That Neural Plasticity Underlies Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-157
Author(s):  
Chong Zhao ◽  
Geoffrey F. Woodman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Visual Stream ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
The Brain

It is not definitely known how direct-current stimulation causes its long-lasting effects. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the long time course of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is because of the electrical field increasing the plasticity of the brain tissue. If this is the case, then we should see tDCS effects when humans need to encode information into long-term memory, but not at other times. We tested this hypothesis by delivering tDCS to the ventral visual stream of human participants during different tasks (i.e., recognition memory vs. visual search) and at different times during a memory task. We found that tDCS improved memory encoding, and the neural correlates thereof, but not retrieval. We also found that tDCS did not change the efficiency of information processing during visual search for a certain target object, a task that does not require the formation of new connections in the brain but instead relies on attention and object recognition mechanisms. Thus, our findings support the hypothesis that direct-current stimulation modulates brain activity by changing the underlying plasticity of the tissue.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document