Substance abuse is one of the most prevalent and costly health problems in the world today. Standard medical therapy is often not curative, and relapse is common. Research over the past several decades on the neural underpinnings of addiction has implicated a network of structures within the brain shown to be altered in patients with substance abuse. The field of neuromodulation aims to utilize this knowledge to treat dysfunctional circuits by targeting and modulating specific brain circuits. While invasive neuromodulation such as DBS and VNS have proven to be effective in treating movement disorders, OCD and epilepsy, there is increasing interest and data with regards to its potential application for the treatment of severe, intractable addiction. Several neuromodulatory techniques and brain targets are currently under investigation in patients with various substance abuse disorders. This review aims to summarize the current state of evidence for neurosurgical neuromodulation as a therapy for substance abuse and addiction, and to provide additional expert opinions as to the obstacles and future directions of this endeavor.

中文翻译：

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神经调节剂对人类受试者的物质成瘾：综述。

物质滥用是当今世界上最普遍且代价最高的健康问题之一。标准的药物治疗通常不能治愈，复发很常见。在过去的几十年中，关于成瘾的神经基础的研究表明，在滥用药物的患者中，大脑内部的结构网络可能会发生变化。神经调节领域旨在利用这一知识通过靶向和调节特定的大脑回路来治疗功能障碍的回路。尽管已证明诸如DBS和VNS的侵入性神经调节可有效治疗运动障碍，强迫症和癫痫病，但其在治疗严重，顽固性成瘾方面的潜在应用越来越引起人们的兴趣和数据。目前正在对患有各种药物滥用疾病的患者进行几种神经调节技术和脑靶的研究。这篇综述旨在总结神经外科神经调节作为药物滥用和成瘾疗法的当前证据状态，并就此研究的障碍和未来方向提供更多专家意见。