rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies

Drug addiction can be a devastating and chronic relapsing disorder with social, psychological, and physical consequences, and more effective treatment options are needed. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been assessed in a grow...

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Main Authors: Elisa Bellamoli, Paolo Manganotti, Robert P. Schwartz, Claudia Rimondo, Maurizio Gomma, Giovanni Serpelloni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Behavioural Neurology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/815215
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author Elisa Bellamoli
Paolo Manganotti
Robert P. Schwartz
Claudia Rimondo
Maurizio Gomma
Giovanni Serpelloni
author_facet Elisa Bellamoli
Paolo Manganotti
Robert P. Schwartz
Claudia Rimondo
Maurizio Gomma
Giovanni Serpelloni
author_sort Elisa Bellamoli
collection DOAJ
description Drug addiction can be a devastating and chronic relapsing disorder with social, psychological, and physical consequences, and more effective treatment options are needed. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been assessed in a growing number of studies for its therapeutic potential in treating addiction. This review paper offers an overview on the current state of clinical research in treating drug addiction with rTMS. Because of the limited research in this area, all studies (including case reports) that evaluated the therapeutic use of rTMS in nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug addiction were included in this review. Papers published prior to December 2012 were found through an NCBI PubMed search. A total of eleven studies were identified that met review criteria. There is nascent evidence that rTMS could be effective in reducing cocaine craving and nicotine and alcohol craving and consumption and might represent a potential therapeutic tool for treating addiction. Further studies are needed to identify the optimal parameters of stimulation for the most effective treatment of drug addiction, to improve our comprehension of the treatment neurophysiological effects, and to conduct rigorous, controlled efficacy studies with adequate power.
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spelling doaj-art-eb26e7ed41ac45beaf6a86fef45e60bb2025-08-20T03:21:18ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85842014-01-01201410.1155/2014/815215815215rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human StudiesElisa Bellamoli0Paolo Manganotti1Robert P. Schwartz2Claudia Rimondo3Maurizio Gomma4Giovanni Serpelloni5Addiction Department, ULSS 20, Via Germania 20, 37136 Verona, ItalyDepartment of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Piazzale L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, ItalyFriends Research Institute, Inc., 1040 Park Avenue, Suite 103, Baltimore, MD 21201, USANational Coordination Centre for NIDA Collaborations, Via Germania 20, 37136 Verona, ItalyAddiction Department, ULSS 20, Via Germania 20, 37136 Verona, ItalyDepartment for Anti-Drug Policies of the Presidency of Ministers’ Council of Italy, Via dei Laterani 34, 00184 Roma, ItalyDrug addiction can be a devastating and chronic relapsing disorder with social, psychological, and physical consequences, and more effective treatment options are needed. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been assessed in a growing number of studies for its therapeutic potential in treating addiction. This review paper offers an overview on the current state of clinical research in treating drug addiction with rTMS. Because of the limited research in this area, all studies (including case reports) that evaluated the therapeutic use of rTMS in nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug addiction were included in this review. Papers published prior to December 2012 were found through an NCBI PubMed search. A total of eleven studies were identified that met review criteria. There is nascent evidence that rTMS could be effective in reducing cocaine craving and nicotine and alcohol craving and consumption and might represent a potential therapeutic tool for treating addiction. Further studies are needed to identify the optimal parameters of stimulation for the most effective treatment of drug addiction, to improve our comprehension of the treatment neurophysiological effects, and to conduct rigorous, controlled efficacy studies with adequate power.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/815215
spellingShingle Elisa Bellamoli
Paolo Manganotti
Robert P. Schwartz
Claudia Rimondo
Maurizio Gomma
Giovanni Serpelloni
rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
Behavioural Neurology
title rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
title_full rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
title_fullStr rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
title_full_unstemmed rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
title_short rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies
title_sort rtms in the treatment of drug addiction an update about human studies
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/815215
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