Journal of Gambling Studies ( IF 3.396 ) Pub Date : 2021-07-02 , DOI: 10.1007/s10899-021-10050-1 Adriana Salatino 1, 2 , Roberta Miccolis 1 , Roberto Gammeri 1 , Marco Ninghetto 1, 3 , Francesco Belli 1, 4 , Marcello Nobili 5 , André Mouraux 2 , Raffaella Ricci 1, 6
Gambling disorder (GD) is a form of behavioral addiction. In recent years, it has been suggested that the application of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which plays a key role in top-down inhibitory control and impulsivity, may represent a new therapeutic approach for treating addictions. Here we investigated the effectiveness of a novel low dose tDCS protocol (i.e. six sessions of right anodal/left cathodal tDCS for 20 min, with a current intensity of 1 mA) applied to DLPFC in a patient with GD. To evaluate the effect of the proposed intervention, cognitive, psychological and behavioural evaluations were performed at different time points, pre and post intervention. The results showed improvement of impulsivity, decision making, and cognitive functioning after tDCS intervention. Findings of the present study suggest that low doses of right anodal/left cathodal tDCS to DLPFC may effectively improve gambling behaviour. They also suggest to carefully evaluate the effects of this tDCS polarity on the patient’s emotional state. The current protocol warrants further investigation in large groups of patients, as it may provide relevant insights into the design of effective, low dose treatments of gambling disorder.
中文翻译:
经颅直流电刺激赌博障碍患者背外侧前额叶皮层的冲动性和决策制定
赌博障碍 (GD) 是行为成瘾的一种形式。近年来,有人提出经颅直流电刺激(tDCS)对在自上而下抑制控制和冲动中起关键作用的背外侧前额叶皮层(DLPFC)的应用可能代表一种新的治疗方法上瘾。在这里,我们调查了适用于 GD 患者 DLPFC 的新型低剂量 tDCS 方案(即 6 次右阳极/左阴极 tDCS,持续 20 分钟,电流强度为 1 mA)的有效性。为了评估拟议干预的效果,在干预前后的不同时间点进行了认知、心理和行为评估。结果表明,经过 tDCS 干预后,冲动性、决策制定和认知功能得到改善。本研究的结果表明,对 DLPFC 进行低剂量的右阳极/左阴极 tDCS 可有效改善赌博行为。他们还建议仔细评估这种 tDCS 极性对患者情绪状态的影响。目前的协议需要对大量患者进行进一步调查,因为它可能为赌博障碍的有效、低剂量治疗的设计提供相关见解。