Non-invasive brain stimulation as a treatment for substance use disorders

Addiction is a severe chronic affliction with a large detrimental individual and societal impact. The effectiveness of existing treatments is limited, necessitating the investigation of novel treatments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation where a weak current is passed between scalp electrodes. Several studies have documented a positive impact of tDCS in addiction. However, both the applied methods and the outcomes lack consistency. This project aims to systematically investigate and optimize the effectivity of tDCS in addiction, involving both the stimulation protocol (e.g., dosage, target tissue) as well as interindividual differences underlying variability of treatment effects (e.g., substance type, neurocognitive functioning, personality, severity of the addiction). A critical and novel method would be to apply objective neuroimaging (EEG) as an outcome measure. The end goals of this project are to promote the clinical utility of tDCS in addiction and to further the understanding of the fundamental neurobiological processes involved in addiction.