2016/07/21 by Fady Rachid · 24 citations
Neuroscience · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · Psychology · #Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies #Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research #Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study #Transcranial magnetic stimulation #Neurostimulation #Nicotine #Stimulation #Medicine #Deep brain stimulation #Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation #Craving #Abstinence #Addiction #Brain stimulation #Anesthesia #Psychology #Neuroscience #Psychiatry #Internal medicine #Parkinson's disease
paper · doi:10.1111/ajad.12405
published in American Journal on Addictions 25(6), 436-451 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2016/07/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
OBJECTIVE: Nicotine dependence accounts for significant mortality, morbidity, and socio-economic burdens. It remains a significant public health concern since it is among the leading causes of mortality worldwide and of preventable deaths in developed countries. Despite the availability of approved medications to treat nicotine dependence, along with cognitive behavioral therapy, only 6% of the total number of smokers who report wanting to quit each year are successful in doing so for more than a month mostly with poor abstinence rates. Urgent therapeutic alternatives are therefore needed such as neurostimulation techniques. The purpose of this review is to describe studies that have evaluated the safety and efficacy of these techniques for the treatment of nicotine dependence. METHODS: The electronic literature on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, theta-burst stimulation, deep transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, magnetic seizure therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, cranial electro-stimulation, and deep brain stimulation in the treatment of nicotine addiction were reviewed. RESULTS: Most of these studies found that some of these neurostimulation techniques are safe and potentially effective in the reduction of craving to nicotine as well as in the reduction of cigarette consumption. CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Given the promising results of some of the studies particularly with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, theta-burst stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation and, possibly, deep transcranial magnetic stimulation, future controlled studies with larger samples, and optimal stimulus parameters should be designed to confirm these findings. (Am J Addict 2016;25:436-451).