Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cigarette Addiction

University of Brasilia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Addiction

Treatments: Other: Placebo; Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02146014

TAB-69168

Details and patient eligibility

About

Tobacco addiction is treatable with behavioral and pharmacological means, but results are often less than optimal. Transcranial direct current stimulation is a new non-invasive technique that applies weak electrical currents through the skull and has been shown to alter the excitability of certain brain areas. It is currently being tried in disorders where there is abnormal brain excitability, such as epilepsy and depression. A few studies have also been able to diminish drug craving, suggesting that brain excitability might also be altered in drug addiction.

This study aims at non-invasively changing the excitability of certain brain areas-a procedure called neuromodulation- in order to help smokers quit smoking more easily.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• smokers

Exclusion criteria

• use of psychoactive drugs
• age above 70

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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30 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Experimental group

Description:

These subjects will receive real transcranial direct current stimulation.

Treatment:

Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Sham tDCS

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

These subjects will receive sham transcranial direct current stimulation (placebo)

Treatment:

Other: Placebo