scholarly journals The Effect of Different tDCS Protocols on Drug Craving and Cognitive Functions in Methamphetamine Addicts

Author(s):  
Samira Rezvanian ◽  
◽  
Mohammad Amin Saraei ◽  
Hossein Mohajeri ◽  
Peyman Hassani Abharian ◽  
...  

Background and objective: Drug craving is considered to be a major problem in addiction treatment. Neuroimaging research has revealed various areas for drug craving, among which two key areas are the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the cerebellum. The DLPFC is involved in different cognitive tasks like the inhibitory control over seductive options harboring the promise of immediate reward. The cerebellum considered to be related to cognition and memory and gets activated by drug-related cues. Therefore based on the previous researches we decided to study the effects of applying tDCS on six different protocols in reducing Drug Craving and increasing Cognitive Functions in Methamphetamine Addicts. Methods: The present study is a semi-experimental, with pre/post-test, and a control group. Based on a simple sampling method, 15 male methamphetamine addicts in two rehabilitation centers in Tehran were recruited. The participants were 18-65 years old with a minimum 12-month history of methamphetamine dependence. Visual Analog Scale (VAS), The Go/No-Go Task and The N-Back Task was administered before and after single session of tDCS. tDCS applied on six protocols which were: 1. The right DLPFC anodal and the left DLPFC cathodal stimulation 2. The right DLPFC cathodal and the left DLPFC anodal stimulation 3. The right DLPFC anodal and the right arm cathodal stimulation 4. The left DLPFC anodal and the left arm cathodal stimulation 5. The right cerebellar hemisphere (O2) anodal and the left cerebellar hemisphere (O1) cathodal stimulation 6. The right cerebellar hemisphere (O2) cathodal and the left cerebellar hemisphere (O1) anodal stimulation. The data were analyzed by covariance method using SPSS-22 software Results: Study results indicated while single session tDCS effects on craving were not significant, it increased cognitive inhibition especially in protocol 2: The right DLPFC cathodal and the left DLPFC anodal stimulation Conclusion and discussion: Single session of tDCS has an insignificant effect on craving but it can increase cognitive inhibition significantly. These findings extend the results of previous studies on the effects of brain stimulation for drug craving reduction in other drug type settings.

Author(s):  
Merter Keçeli

AbstractThe cerebellum abnormalities may be hypoplastic, dysplastic, or hypoplastic. It is very rare that the cerebellar hemisphere is affected unilaterally in the posterior fossa abnormalities. The reason for this effect is mostly sequela. This pathology presents with neuromotor developmental abnormalities. In this presentation, isolated left cerebellar hypoplasia is described radiologically in a 21-month-old male patient with neuromotor development defects. Dysplastic appearance was noticeable in the observable part of the left cerebellar hemisphere and folia. The cerebellar vermis could not be shaped. The right cerebellar hemisphere, other posterior fossa formations, and supratentorial area were natural. In patients with neuromuscular abnormalities, the posterior fossa is applied with care. It should be remembered that cerebellar hypoplasia and dysplasia can be unilateral.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (15) ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Lickteig ◽  
Martin Lotze ◽  
Bernd Kordass

Aim Craniomandibular disorders (CMD) are widespread, but we know little about the cerebral representations associated with this pain syndrome and nothing about changes in cerebral representations of occlusion induced by common therapy approaches. Methods In a longitudinal therapy study, we applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 14 patients with mild CMD during occlusal movements. fMRI, pain scoring, kinematic investigations of occlusal movements, and jaw muscle electromyography (EMG) were measured before and after two weeks of therapy with an individually optimized Michigan splint. Results The patients’ subjective pain ratings decreased, and the symmetry of condylar movements increased over the period of therapy. After therapy, EMG of the jaw muscles demonstrated more relaxed resting conditions and increased activity during maximal occlusion. fMRI during occlusion showed an activation decrease in the right anterior insula and right cerebellum over the course of therapy. Correlation analysis between pain score and fMRI activation decreases identified right anterior insula, left posterior insula and left cerebellar hemisphere. Left cerebellar and right primary motor activation magnitude was negatively associated with symmetry of the condylar movements. Conclusions Our findings highlight the impact of the anterior insula for the internal monitoring and the anticipation of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. In addition, an increase of symmetry of condylar movements after therapy has been associated with a decrease of activation magnitude in primary motor and cerebellar regions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. E5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Till Burkhardt ◽  
Daniel Lüdecke ◽  
Lothar Spies ◽  
Linus Wittmann ◽  
Manfred Westphal ◽  
...  

OBJECT Cushing’s disease (CD) may cause atrophy of different regions of the human brain, mostly affecting the hippocampus and the cerebellum. This study evaluates the use of 3-T MRI of newly diagnosed patients with CD to detect atrophic degeneration with voxel-based volumetry. METHODS Subjects with newly diagnosed, untreated CD were included and underwent 3-T MRI. Images were analyzed using a voxelwise statistical test to detect reduction of brain parenchyma. In addition, an atlas-based volumetric study for regions likely to be affected by CD was performed. RESULTS Nineteen patients with a mean disease duration of 24 months were included. Tumor markers included adre-nocorticotropic hormone (median 17.5 pmol/L), cortisol (949.4 nmol/L), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (5.4 μmol/L). The following values are expressed as the mean ± SD. The voxelwise statistical test revealed clusters of significantly reduced gray matter in the hippocampus and cerebellum, with volumes of 2.90 ± 0.26 ml (right hippocampus), 2.89 ± 0.28 ml (left hippocampus), 41.95 ± 4.67 ml (right cerebellar hemisphere), and 42.11 ± 4.59 ml (left cerebellar hemisphere). Healthy control volunteers showed volumes of 3.22 ± 0.25 ml for the right hippocampus, 3.23 ± 0.25 ml for the left hippocampus, 50.87 ± 4.23 ml for the right cerebellar hemisphere, and 50.42 ± 3.97 ml for the left cerebellar hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS Patients with untreated CD show significant reduction of gray matter in the cerebellum and hippocampus. These changes can be analyzed and objectified with the quantitative voxel-based method described in this study.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binoy Yohannan ◽  
Mark Feldman

Balamuthia mandrillarisis a rare cause of granulomatous meningoencephalitis associated with high mortality. We report a 69-year-old Caucasian female who presented with a 3-day history of worsening confusion and difficulty with speech. On admission, she was disoriented and had expressive dysphasia. Motor examination revealed a right arm pronator drift. Cerebellar examination showed slowing of finger-nose testing on the left. She was HIV-negative, but the absolute CD4 count was low. Neuroimaging showed three cavitary, peripherally enhancing brain lesions, involving the right frontal lobe, the left basal ganglia, and the left cerebellar hemisphere. She underwent right frontal craniotomy with removal of tan, creamy, partially liquefied necrotic material from the brain, consistent with granulomatous amoebic encephalitis on tissue staining. Immunohistochemical studies and PCR tests confirmed infection withBalamuthia mandrillaris. She was started on pentamidine, sulfadiazine, azithromycin, fluconazole, flucytosine, and miltefosine. The postoperative course was complicated by an ischemic stroke, and she died a few weeks later.


2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Fernandez Del Olmo ◽  
Binith Cheeran ◽  
Giacomo Koch ◽  
John C. Rothwell

Several studies have suggested that the cerebellum has an important role in timing of subsecond intervals. Previous studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test this hypothesis directly have produced inconsistent results. Here we used 1-Hz repetitive TMS (rTMS) for 10 min over the right or left cerebellar hemisphere to interfere transiently with cerebellar processing to assess its effect on the performance of a finger-tapping task. Subjects tapped with their right index finger for 1 min (synchronization phase) with an auditory or visual cue at 0.5, 1, or 2 Hz; they continued for a further 1 min at the same rate with no cues (continuation phase). The blocks of trials were performed in a random order. rTMS of the cerebellum ipsilateral to the movement increased the variability of the intertap interval but only for movements at 2 Hz that were made while subjects were synchronizing with an auditory cue. There was no effect on the continuation phase of the task when the cues were no longer present or on synchronization with a visual cue. Similar results were seen after stimulation over the contralateral dorsal premotor cortex but not after rTMS over supplementary motor area. There was no effect after rTMS over the ipsilateral right cervical nerve roots or over the ipsilateral primary motor cortex. The results support the hypothesis of neural network for event-related timing in the subsecond range that involves a cerebellar-premotor network.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 928-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Doppelmayr ◽  
Nils Henrik Pixa ◽  
Fabian Steinberg

AbstractObjectives: Although motor adaptation is a highly relevant process for both everyday life as well as rehabilitation many details of this process are still unresolved. To evaluate the contribution of primary motor (M1), parietal and cerebellar areas to motor adaptation processes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied. We hypothesized that anodal stimulation of the cerebellum and the M1 improves the learning process in mirror drawing, a task involving fine grained and spatially well-organized hand movements. Methods: High definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) allows a focal stimulation to modulate brain processes. In a single-session double-blind study, we compared the effects of different anodal stimulation procedures. The groups received stimulation either at the cerebellum (CER), at right parietal (PAR), or at left M1, and a SHAM group was included. Participants (n=83) had to complete several mirror drawing tasks before, during, and after stimulation. They were instructed to re-trace a line in the shape of a pentagonal star as fast and accurate as possible. Tracing time (seconds) and accuracy (deviation in mm) have been evaluated. Results: The results indicated that cerebellar HD-tDCS can facilitate motor adaptation in a single session. The stimulation at M1 showed only a tendency to increase motor adaptation and these effects were visible only during the first part of the stimulation. Stimulating the right parietal area, relevant for visuospatial processing did not lead to increased performance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that motor adaptation relies to a great extent on cerebellar functions and HD-tDCS can speed up this process. (JINS, 2016, 22, 928–936)


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolan Yang ◽  
Wenting Meng ◽  
Shu Chen ◽  
Mei Gao ◽  
Jian Zhang

Socially responsible investment (SRI) is an emerging philosophy that integrates social and environmental impacts into investment considerations, and it has gradually developed into an important form of investment. Previous studies have shown that both financial and non-financial motivations account for SRI behaviors, but it is unclear whether the non-financial motive to adopt SRI derives from investors’ altruism. This study uses neuroscientific techniques to explore the role of altruism in SRI decision-making. Given that existing evidence has supported the involvement of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in altruism and altruistic behaviors, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to temporarily modulate activity in the rTPJ and tested its effect on charitable donations and SRI behaviors. We found that anodal stimulation increased the subjects’ donations, while cathodal stimulation decreased them, suggesting that tDCS changed the subjects’ levels of altruism. More importantly, anodal stimulation enhanced the subjects’ willingness to make SRIs, while cathodal stimulation did not have a significant impact. These findings indicate that altruism plays an important role in SRI decision-making. Furthermore, cathodal stimulation changed the subjects’ perceived effectiveness of charitable donation but not that of socially responsible fund. This result may help explain the inconsistent effects of cathodal stimulation on charitable donations and SRI behaviors. The main contribution of our study lies in its pioneering application of tDCS to conduct research on SRI behaviors and provision of neuroscientific evidence regarding the role of altruism in SRI decision-making.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyudmila V. Olkhova ◽  
Vladimir E. Popov

Background. Currently, vascular access is one of the most important aspects in specific and accompanying treatment of cancer patients regardless of their age and sex. Partially implanted venous catheters previously described by Hickman were widely applied all over the world. The introduction of completely implanted venous port-systems revolutionized health care delivery and improved the quality of life in patients with oncological diseases. A fully implanted venous port consists of a silicone catheter which distal tip is connected to a port tank implanted subcutaneously. Such a design allows providing safe and multiple adequate vascular accesses regardless of the patient’s clinical state.Case Report. We present a clinical case of a 10-year-old patient diagnosed with medulloblastoma of the cerebellopontine angle and the left cerebellar hemisphere. The case described spontaneous detachment of an implanted venous port catheter and its migration to the venous heart in a patient who underwent chemotherapy by venous access provided through implantation of the venous port.Conclusion. Our clinical case demonstrated a rare and potentially extremely dangerous noninfectious complication associated with the use of venous port-systems. Implanted systems require washing 1–2 times per month with heparinized solutions or solutions containing taurolidine when they are not used. Periodic chest radiographs can reveal integrity alterations of the system. Any implanted system should be removed when it is not used, or it should be monitored on a regular basis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Laura Georgescu Margarint ◽  
Ioana Antoaneta Georgescu ◽  
Carmen Denise Mihaela Zahiu ◽  
Stefan-Alexandru Tirlea ◽  
Alexandru Rǎzvan Şteopoaie ◽  
...  

The execution of voluntary muscular activity is controlled by the primary motor cortex, together with the cerebellum and basal ganglia. The synchronization of neural activity in the intracortical network is crucial for the regulation of movements. In certain motor diseases, such as dystonia, this synchrony can be altered in any node of the cerebello-cortical network. Questions remain about how the cerebellum influences the motor cortex and interhemispheric communication. This research aims to study the interhemispheric cortical communication between the motor cortices during dystonia, a neurological movement syndrome consisting of sustained or repetitive involuntary muscle contractions. We pharmacologically induced lateralized dystonia to adult male albino mice by administering low doses of kainic acid on the left cerebellar hemisphere. Using electrocorticography and electromyography, we investigated the power spectral densities, cortico-muscular, and interhemispheric coherence between the right and left motor cortices, before and during dystonia, for five consecutive days. Mice displayed lateralized abnormal motor signs, a reduced general locomotor activity, and a high score of dystonia. The results showed a progressive interhemispheric coherence decrease in low-frequency bands (delta, theta, beta) during the first 3 days. The cortico-muscular coherence of the affected side had a significant increase in gamma bands on days 3 and 4. In conclusion, lateralized cerebellar dysfunction during dystonia was associated with a loss of connectivity in the motor cortices, suggesting a possible cortical compensation to the initial disturbances induced by cerebellar left hemisphere kainate activation by blocking the propagation of abnormal oscillations to the healthy hemisphere. However, the cerebellum is part of several overly complex circuits, therefore other mechanisms can still be involved in this phenomenon.


2008 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1058-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Han ◽  
X. Zhang ◽  
S. Qiu ◽  
X. Li ◽  
W. Xiong ◽  
...  

Background: Gliosarcomas are rare tumors with mixed glial and mesenchymal components. Many of their radiologic features resemble those of other primary brain malignancies. Purpose: To investigate the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of gliosarcomas. Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the MR images, pathology reports, and clinical information of 11 male and four female patients aged 15–71 years to evaluate the location, morphology, enhancement, and other features of their pathologically confirmed gliosarcomas. Results: Apart from one tumor in the right cerebellar hemisphere, all were supratentorial. Two tumors were intraventricular, and four involved the corpus callosum. The tumors were well demarcated, with an inhomogeneous or cystic appearance and moderate-to-extensive surrounding edema. Thick walls with strong rim and ring-like enhancement were observed in 13 (87%). Seven (47%) showed intratumoral paliform enhancement. Conclusion: Gliosarcoma demonstrates certain characteristic MR features, such as supratentorial and peripheral location, well-demarcated, abutting a dural surface, uneven and thick-walled rim-like or ring enhancement, as well as intratumoral strip enhancement. These findings, combined with patient age, can aid the differential diagnosis of gliosarcomas from more common primary brain tumors.


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