High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) is a widely applied treatment protocol for chronic smoking and major depressive disorder. However, no previous study has measured the effects of rTMS on both nicotine consumption and anxiety/depression in the same volunteers despite the relationship between them. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of 10 daily sessions of HF-rTMS over the L-DLPFC in chronic cigarette smokers’ addiction and investigate the possible beneficial effects of this treatment procedure on symptoms of depression and anxiety in the same subjects. The study included 40 treatment-seeking nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers. Onset/duration of smoking, number of cigarettes/day, Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Tobacco Craving Questionnaire-Short Form (TCQ-SF), Hamilton depression and anxiety scales (HAM-D and HAM-A) were recorded. Participants were randomly assigned to the active or the sham treatment group. Those in the active group received 10 trains of 20 Hz stimulation, at 80% of the resting motor threshold (rMT) for 10 consecutive working days over L-DLPFC. Participants were reassessed immediately after treatment, and then 3 months later using all rating scales. There were no differences between active and sham groups at baseline. The cigarette consumption/day, and scores on FTND, and TCQ decreased significantly in both groups (p = 0.0001 for each) immediately after treatment. However, improvement persisted to 3 months in the active group but not in the sham group. Moreover, there was a significant reduction in HAM-D and HAM-A scores immediately after treatment in the active but not the sham group. Subjects with a longer history of smoking had a lower percent improvement in FTND (p = 0.005). Our findings revealed that HF-rTMS over L-DLPCF for 10 days reduced cigarette consumption, craving, dependence, and improved associated symptoms of anxiety and depression.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03264755 registered at 29/08/2017.

左背外侧前额叶皮层 (L-DLPFC) 的高频重复经颅磁刺激 (HF-rTMS) 是一种广泛应用于慢性吸烟和重度抑郁症的治疗方案。然而，之前没有研究测量过 rTMS 对同一志愿者的尼古丁消耗和焦虑/抑郁的影响，尽管它们之间存在关系。这项工作的目的是评估每天 10 次 HF-rTMS 对 L-DLPFC 对慢性吸烟者成瘾的疗效，并研究这种治疗程序对同一受试者的抑郁和焦虑症状可能产生的有益影响。该研究包括 40 名寻求治疗的尼古丁依赖型吸烟者。吸烟的开始/持续时间，每天的香烟数量，尼古丁依赖的 Fagerstrom 测试 (FTND)，记录烟草渴望问卷 - 简表 (TCQ-SF)、汉密尔顿抑郁和焦虑量表 (HAM-D 和 HAM-A)。参与者被随机分配到积极治疗组或假治疗组。活跃组中的人在 L-DLPFC 上连续 10 个工作日接受 10 列 20 Hz 刺激，达到静息运动阈值 (rMT) 的 80%。治疗后立即对参与者进行重新评估，然后在 3 个月后使用所有评分量表重新评估。基线时主动组和假组之间没有差异。治疗后，两组的每天卷烟消费量、FTND 和 TCQ 评分均显着下降（各 p = 0.0001）。然而，活动组的改善持续了 3 个月，而假手术组则没有。而且，HAM-D 和 HAM-A 评分在治疗后立即在活性组而非假手术组中显着降低。吸烟史较长的受试者的 FTND 改善百分比较低（p = 0.005）。我们的研究结果表明 HF-rTMS 超过 L-DLPCF 10 天减少了香烟消费、渴望、依赖，并改善了焦虑和抑郁的相关症状。

ClinicalTrials.gov 标识符： NCT03264755 于 29/08/2017 注册。