EEG correlates of the effects of tDCS on cognition and craving in adults with substance use disorder
Poster No:
23
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Michael Marxen1, Cagdas Türkmen2, Nadja Grundinger2, Alfred Wieland2, Alexandra Seeger2, Haoye Tan2, Tobias Müller2, Yury Shevchenko2, Falk Kiefer2,3,4, Sarah Gerhardt2,3, Sabine Vollstädt-Klein2,3,4
Institutions:
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany, 2Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany, 3German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany, 4Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
First Author:
Michael Marxen, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University Dresden
Dresden, Germany
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University Dresden
Dresden, Germany
Co-Author(s):
Cagdas Türkmen
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Nadja Grundinger
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Alfred Wieland
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Alexandra Seeger
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Haoye Tan
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Tobias Müller
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Yury Shevchenko
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Falk Kiefer
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm|Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm|Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Sarah Gerhardt
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany
Sabine Vollstädt-Klein
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm|Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Dept. of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health|German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm|Mannheim Center for Translational Neurosciences, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Heidelberg University
Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany|Mannheim, Germany
Introduction:
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a potential treatment for substance use disorders (SUD), but its efficacy and specificity remain unclear. To address this, we designed two consecutive randomized controlled studies. The first study investigated the primary effects of active tDCS on cigarette use, craving and executive functions. Building on these findings, an ongoing follow-up study aims to further specify the mode of action of tDCS, focusing on placebo effects, lateralization effects, and general influences on brain metabolism. Underlying neural mechanisms are examined using electroencephalography (EEG) focusing on the event-related potentials (ERP) components N2 and P3, which are suggested biomarkers for executive functions and incentive salience.
Methods:
Stimulation (both studies): 20 minutes of tDCS (2.0 mA) on five consecutive days. Sham tDCS involved a ramp-up/down process (from 0.3mA to 2mA and down to 0.3mA) lasting 34 seconds in total.
Study 1 (NCT03691805): 44 non-treatment-seeking adults with tobacco use disorder were randomized to active (n=24) or sham (n=20) stimulation targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC, F3).Craving, cigarette use and executive functions were examined.
Study 2 (registration pending): randomizes 162 abstinent patients with alcohol use disorder into six experimental groups: (1) anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC (F3), (2) anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC (F4), (3) control tDCS targeting the occipital cortex (O1), (4) alcohol-specific computerized inhibition training (Stein et al., 2023), (5) sham tDCS, (6) treatment as usual. Craving and alcohol use are measured using questionnaires and interviews.
EEG: EEG data are recorded with 32 channels with active electrodes, mBrainTrain, Belgrade, Serbia (sampling rate 1000Hz, filtered between 0.016-1000Hz, programmed in Presentation® software (Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc., Berkeley, CA, USA). Data will be analyzed using the toolbox EEGLAB (https://sccn.ucsd.edu/eeglab/index.php) running under MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA). Amongst others, filtering, independent component analyses, and segmentation will be conducted. Participants will undergo a modified version of the Go/No-Go task measuring inhibitory control under varying working memory loads (Stock et al., 2016) during which an EEG is recorded.
Study 1 (NCT03691805): 44 non-treatment-seeking adults with tobacco use disorder were randomized to active (n=24) or sham (n=20) stimulation targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC, F3).Craving, cigarette use and executive functions were examined.
Study 2 (registration pending): randomizes 162 abstinent patients with alcohol use disorder into six experimental groups: (1) anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC (F3), (2) anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC (F4), (3) control tDCS targeting the occipital cortex (O1), (4) alcohol-specific computerized inhibition training (Stein et al., 2023), (5) sham tDCS, (6) treatment as usual. Craving and alcohol use are measured using questionnaires and interviews.
EEG: EEG data are recorded with 32 channels with active electrodes, mBrainTrain, Belgrade, Serbia (sampling rate 1000Hz, filtered between 0.016-1000Hz, programmed in Presentation® software (Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc., Berkeley, CA, USA). Data will be analyzed using the toolbox EEGLAB (https://sccn.ucsd.edu/eeglab/index.php) running under MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA). Amongst others, filtering, independent component analyses, and segmentation will be conducted. Participants will undergo a modified version of the Go/No-Go task measuring inhibitory control under varying working memory loads (Stock et al., 2016) during which an EEG is recorded.
Results:
Study 1 observed reductions across both active and sham groups in cigarette use (F(2.76, 105.00) = 3.34, p = .03) and craving (F(2.99, 125.42) = 15.70, p < .001) over the days (see Figures 1 and 2), with no significant differences between the groups. However, high pre-intervention perceived stress was associated with a smaller amount of cigarettes during the observation period, but only in the active group [t(22) =2.99, p =.01]. Furthermore, also only in this group, lower self-control scores were correlated with a higher decrease in exhaled CO [t (20) =2.82, p =.01]. No significant improvements in executive functions were found for either group. Initial observations (n = 6) support the feasibility of using EEG to assess the effects of tDCS on ERPs, such as the N2 and P3, in relation to executive functions and craving. Findings with a larger sample size will be presented at the conference.
·Reduction in CO levels across both active and sham groups
·Reduction in cigarette craving across both active and sham groups
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that tDCS over the lDLPFC may not reduce cigarette use or substance craving, or improve executive functions beyond the placebo effect. However, high pre-intervention perceived stress and low self-control may predict reduced cigarette use. The ongoing follow-up study will build upon these findings by shedding light on placebo effects, lateralization effects, and biomarkers in a patient population with alcohol use disorder using EEG.
Brain Stimulation:
Non-invasive Electrical/tDCS/tACS/tRNS 1
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) 2
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
EEG/MEG Modeling and Analysis
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG
Keywords:
Addictions
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
Other - TDCS
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Abstract Information
By submitting your proposal, you grant permission for the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) to distribute your work in any format, including video, audio print and electronic text through OHBM OnDemand, social media channels, the OHBM website, or other electronic publications and media.
The Open Science Special Interest Group (OSSIG) is introducing a reproducibility challenge for OHBM 2025. This new initiative aims to enhance the reproducibility of scientific results and foster collaborations between labs. Teams will consist of a “source” party and a “reproducing” party, and will be evaluated on the success of their replication, the openness of the source work, and additional deliverables. Click here for more information. Propose your OHBM abstract(s) as source work for future OHBM meetings by selecting one of the following options:
Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Was this research conducted in the United States?
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel? NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.
Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
Which processing packages did you use for your study?
Provide references using APA citation style.
Stock, A. K., Riegler, L., Chmielewski, W. X., & Beste, C. (2016). Paradox effects of binge drinking on response inhibition processes depending on mental workload. Arch Toxicol, 90(6), 1429-1436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-015-1565-y