Nicotine withdrawal and anxiety symptoms are overlapping barriers to smoking cessation. We examined the effects of a smoking cessation treatment — noninvasive neuromodulation — on nicotine withdrawal and anxiety symptoms, which revealed information on how neuromodulation can treat substance use disorders.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$59.00 per year
only $4.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Zangen, A. et al. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for smoking cessation: a pivotal multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial. World Psychiatry 20, 397–404 (2021). This paper led to FDA approval for a noninvasive neuromodulation treatment for smoking cessation.
Abdelrahman, A. A. et al. A double-blind randomized clinical trial of high frequency rTMS over the DLPFC on nicotine dependence, anxiety and depression. Sci. Rep. 11, 1640 (2021). This paper reports that neuromodulation reduces nicotine withdrawal.
Li, X. et al. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex reduces nicotine cue craving. Biol. Psychiatry 73, 714–720 (2013). This paper finds that neuromodulation reduces cigarette craving.
Bystritsky, A. et al. A preliminary study of fMRI-guided rTMS in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. J. Clin. Psychiatry 69, 15243 (2008). This article probes neuromodulation for anxiety.
Piper, M. E., Cook, J. W., Schlam, T. R., Jorenby, D. E. & Baker, T. B. Anxiety diagnoses in smokers seeking cessation treatment: relations with tobacco dependence, withdrawal, outcome and response to treatment. Addiction 106, 418–427 (2011). This paper examined the relationship between anxiety and smoking.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Apostol, M. R. et al. Effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on craving and state anxiety in tobacco use disorder. Nat. Mental Health https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00154-5 (2023).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brain stimulation reduces cigarette craving but not anxiety symptoms. Nat. Mental Health 1, 926–927 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00155-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00155-4
