No effect of repetitive tDCS on daily smoking behaviour in light smokers: A placebo controlled EMA study

Introduction The effectiveness of repetitive transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on reducing smoking behaviour has been studied with mixed results. Smoking behaviour is influenced by affect and context, therefore we choose to use mobile ecological momentary assessments (EMA) to measure changes in smoking behaviour after tDCS. Methods In a randomized, placebo-controlled, between subject study, we applied tDCS bilaterally with the anodal electrode targeting the right DLPFC (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03027687). Smokers were allocated to six sessions of either active tDCS (n = 35) or sham tDCS (n = 36) and received two sessions on three different days in one week. They were asked to keep track of their daily cigarette consumption, craving and affect in an application on their mobile phones for three months starting one week before the first tDCS session. Results Number of smoked cigarettes a day p

Multi-session electrical neuromodulation effects on craving, relapse and cognitive functions in cocaine use disorder: A randomized, sham-controlled tDCS study

Background: The use of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has previously shown promising results for reducing craving in cocaine use disorder. In this study we further explored the potential of tDCS as add-on intervention in the treatment of cocaine use disorder. Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, between subject study, we applied tDCS bilaterally with the anodal electrode targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03025321). Patients with cocaine use disorder were allocated to ten sessions of either active tDCS (n = 29) or sham (n = 30) on five consecutive days. Inhibitory control and risky decision-making were measured via a Go-NoGo task and a two-choice gambling task, respectively, each at baseline, one day after all tDCS sessions and after three months. Relapse at follow-up and craving were also assessed. Results: There was no significant effect of active tDCS on the number of cocaine use days and craving. Relapse was frequent among patients who had received either active or sham tDCS (48.0 % and 69.2 %, respectively), despite an overall decrease in craving during the first two weeks of treatment. No effects were found on cognitive functions. An exploratory analysis for crack cocaine use only revealed that relapse rates were significantly reduced after active tDCS (n = 17) as compared to sham (n = 19). Conclusions: No beneficial effects of tDCS on number of cocaine use days, craving and cognitive functions were found in the present study, but somewhat promising results were obtained regarding relapse rates among crack-cocaine users specifically. Further research is required to determine the efficacy of tDCS as a complementary treatment in cocaine use disorder

Modulation of control: Can HD-tDCS targeting the dACC reduce impulsivity?

Background: The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and its neurocircuits are central in impulsivity, and maladaptive dACC activity has been implicated in psychological disorders

Transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation (tES and TMS) for addiction medicine: A consensus paper on the present state of the science and the road ahead

There is growing interest in non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as a novel treatment option for substance-use disorders (SUDs). Recent momentum stems from a foundation of preclinical neuroscience demonstrating links between neural circuits and drug consuming behavior, as well as recent FDA-approval of NIBS treatments for mental health disorders that share overlapping pathology with SUDs. As with any emerging field, enthusiasm must be tempered by reason; lessons learned from the past should be prudently applied to future therapies. Here, an international ensemble of experts provides an overview of the state of transcranial-electrical (tES) and transcranial-magnetic (TMS) stimulation applied in SUDs. This consensus paper provides a systematic literature review on published data – emphasizing the heterogeneity of methods and outcome measures while suggesting strategies to help bridge knowledge gaps. The goal of this effort is to provide the community with guidelines for best practices in tES/TMS SUD research. We hope this will accelerate the speed at which the community translates basic neuroscience into advanced neuromodulation tools for clinical practice in addiction medicine

Bridging the Gap Between Neurocognitive Insights and the Addiction Clinic: The Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Substance Use Disorder

Individuals with a substance use disorder often report difficulties to stop using drugs despite the obvious negative consequences and a strong willingness to quit this use. This concept has been explained by a hyperactive reward system and hypoactive control system of the brain (i.e. prefrontal cortex; PFC), as the result of repeated and prolonged drug use. The central aim of this dissertation was to investigate whether non-invasive electrical brain stimulation, in the form of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), applied over the PFC would be beneficial in the treatment of addiction by reducing substance use and craving. Furthermore, this dissertation explored if tDCS modulates behavioural and neurophysiological measures of executive functions associated with the control system, to get better insights in the working mechanism of tDCS in addiction treatment

Human migration patterns in Yemen and implications for reconstructing prehistoric population movements.

Population migration has played an important role in human evolutionary history and in the patterning of human genetic variation. A deeper and empirically-based understanding of human migration dynamics is needed in order to interpret genetic and archaeological evidence and to accurately reconstruct the prehistoric processes that comprise human evolutionary history. Current empirical estimates of migration include either short time frames (i.e. within one generation) or partial knowledge about migration, such as proportion of migrants or distance of migration. An analysis of migration that includes both proportion of migrants and distance, and direction over multiple generations would better inform prehistoric reconstructions. To evaluate human migration, we use GPS coordinates from the place of residence of the Yemeni individuals sampled in our study, their birthplaces and their parents' and grandparents' birthplaces to calculate the proportion of migrants, as well as the distance and direction of migration events between each generation. We test for differences in these values between the generations and identify factors that influence the probability of migration. Our results show that the proportion and distance of migration between females and males is similar within generations. In contrast, the proportion and distance of migration is significantly lower in the grandparents' generation, most likely reflecting the decreasing effect of technology. Based on our results, we calculate the proportion of migration events (0.102) and mean and median distances of migration (96 km and 26 km) for the grandparent's generation to represent early times in human evolution. These estimates can serve to set parameter values of demographic models in model-based methods of prehistoric reconstruction, such as approximate Bayesian computation. Our study provides the first empirically-based estimates of human migration over multiple generations in a developing country and these estimates are intended to enable more precise reconstruction of the demographic processes that characterized human evolution