TITLE:
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Cocaine Addiction
AUTHORS:
Hanif Soomro, Alex O'Neill-Kerr, Leigh Neal, Chris Griffiths, Robert De Vai
KEYWORDS:
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), Cocaine, Service Delivery, Addiction
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Depression,
Vol.9 No.2,
May
28,
2020
ABSTRACT: Objective: The aim of this paper is to present the clinical
data analysis results from a service delivering repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people with cocaine-use disorder (CUD). Methods: The study was a retrospective investigation of routinely collected data on
patients receiving rTMS between 2018 and 2019. Measures used were a cocaine
craving Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) self-rated depression measures. Results: The outcome data of 10 patients with CUD were analysed. There was a
statistically significant reduction and a large effect size on CUD and
depression scales. Conclusions: Reductions in craving and depression
indicate the potential benefits to patients and to society of rTMS in treating
CUD. Further sufficiently powered RCTs are warranted with studies focusing on
the optimization of rTMS treatment and exploring the underlying mechanisms.