Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Methamphetamine Craving

Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation is one of the most challenging version of non-invasive brain stimulation. Although it has promised effects on drug-cravings, it has not been approved by FDA as an intervention.Thepurpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of tDCSon reducingmethamphetamine craving.

This studywas a quasi-experimentaldesign withthe pre-test, post-testandcontrol group. The statistical population included all the methamphetamine users who were referred to the HematPayrovan Institute for treatment in 2019. The samplepopulation were 60males assigned randomly into two groupsofexperimental and control group.We applied 20 minutestDCS (2 Ma, Anode F4/Cathode FP1) for experimental group. Data were collected using the Individual Student Assessment Plan (ISAP), The Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ), and Desires for drug questionnaire (DDQ). The data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

The result showed that tDCS significantly decreases methamphetamine craving in the experimental group (P<0.03).

This finding has important implications pertaining the education and mental health of methamphetamine users. Based on the results, repeated DLPFC stimulation could be a promising approach for therapeutic intervention in decreasingmethamphetamine craving.