Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract Background Tobacco use disorder (TUD) is a long-term condition marked by compulsive smoking, intense cravings, and withdrawal effects. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS), which targets the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), has been identified as a promising ther...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Middle East Current Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-025-00503-3 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823863418978828288 |
|---|---|
| author | Salma W. Mousa Adel A. Badawy Gehan F. Attia Wesam A. Ghareeb |
| author_facet | Salma W. Mousa Adel A. Badawy Gehan F. Attia Wesam A. Ghareeb |
| author_sort | Salma W. Mousa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Tobacco use disorder (TUD) is a long-term condition marked by compulsive smoking, intense cravings, and withdrawal effects. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS), which targets the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), has been identified as a promising therapeutic approach. However, research on the use of r-TMS for treating TUD in Egypt remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of active r-TMS in reducing smoking behavior, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and nicotine dependence, in comparison to sham treatment, while also examining its tolerability as a treatment option for TUD. Results Forty male smokers (aged 18–60 years) who smoked a minimum of 10 cigarettes per day for a minimum of 12 months were randomized into two groups: the active r-TMS group (n = 20) and the sham group (n = 20). Active r-TMS treatment, delivered over 15 sessions (5 sessions weekly for 3 consecutive weeks), significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked daily (p = 0.001), nicotine dependence (p = 0.023), withdrawal symptoms (both self-reported and observer-rated) (p = 0.001), and craving (p = 0.007) compared to the sham treatment. Urinary cotinine levels, a biomarker of nicotine intake, were also significantly lower in the active r-TMS group during the follow-up period (p = 0.011). The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with only minor side effects, such as headaches (22.5%). Conclusions Active r-TMS targeting the left DLPFC effectively reduced nicotine dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and craving, demonstrating its potential as a promising treatment for TUD. These findings align with previous studies supporting the efficacy of r-TMS in addiction treatment. Further research is needed to optimize treatment protocols, explore combined therapies, and assess long-term outcomes to improve smoking cessation in diverse populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-47f0e7b844f141ec9ae96677de77d56d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5416 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Middle East Current Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-47f0e7b844f141ec9ae96677de77d56d2025-02-09T12:09:12ZengSpringerOpenMiddle East Current Psychiatry2090-54162025-02-0132111010.1186/s43045-025-00503-3Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trialSalma W. Mousa0Adel A. Badawy1Gehan F. Attia2Wesam A. Ghareeb3Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta UniversityDepartment of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta UniversityAbstract Background Tobacco use disorder (TUD) is a long-term condition marked by compulsive smoking, intense cravings, and withdrawal effects. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (r-TMS), which targets the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), has been identified as a promising therapeutic approach. However, research on the use of r-TMS for treating TUD in Egypt remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of active r-TMS in reducing smoking behavior, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and nicotine dependence, in comparison to sham treatment, while also examining its tolerability as a treatment option for TUD. Results Forty male smokers (aged 18–60 years) who smoked a minimum of 10 cigarettes per day for a minimum of 12 months were randomized into two groups: the active r-TMS group (n = 20) and the sham group (n = 20). Active r-TMS treatment, delivered over 15 sessions (5 sessions weekly for 3 consecutive weeks), significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked daily (p = 0.001), nicotine dependence (p = 0.023), withdrawal symptoms (both self-reported and observer-rated) (p = 0.001), and craving (p = 0.007) compared to the sham treatment. Urinary cotinine levels, a biomarker of nicotine intake, were also significantly lower in the active r-TMS group during the follow-up period (p = 0.011). The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with only minor side effects, such as headaches (22.5%). Conclusions Active r-TMS targeting the left DLPFC effectively reduced nicotine dependence, withdrawal symptoms, and craving, demonstrating its potential as a promising treatment for TUD. These findings align with previous studies supporting the efficacy of r-TMS in addiction treatment. Further research is needed to optimize treatment protocols, explore combined therapies, and assess long-term outcomes to improve smoking cessation in diverse populations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-025-00503-3TobaccoTMSSmokingSham |
| spellingShingle | Salma W. Mousa Adel A. Badawy Gehan F. Attia Wesam A. Ghareeb Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial Middle East Current Psychiatry Tobacco TMS Smoking Sham |
| title | Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | Efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder: a randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | efficacy and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of male smokers with tobacco use disorder a randomized controlled trial |
| topic | Tobacco TMS Smoking Sham |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-025-00503-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT salmawmousa efficacyandsafetyofrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulationinthetreatmentofmalesmokerswithtobaccousedisorderarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT adelabadawy efficacyandsafetyofrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulationinthetreatmentofmalesmokerswithtobaccousedisorderarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT gehanfattia efficacyandsafetyofrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulationinthetreatmentofmalesmokerswithtobaccousedisorderarandomizedcontrolledtrial AT wesamaghareeb efficacyandsafetyofrepetitivetranscranialmagneticstimulationinthetreatmentofmalesmokerswithtobaccousedisorderarandomizedcontrolledtrial |