rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies

Table 2

Summary of the studies on rTMS in the treatment of alcohol addiction.

Study	𝑁 subjects (active, sham)	Alcohol use status	Place of stimulation	Number of sessions	Length	Frequency	Intensity of stimulation	Sham stimulation	Assessment	Findings
Mishra et al. (2010) [51]	30, 15	After detoxification	Right DLPFC	10 daily sessions	20 trains of 4.9 s	10 Hz	110% MT	Yes	Craving, assessed by ACQ-NOW	Reduction in immediate craving; no effect on craving after 4 weeks
Höppner et al. (2011) [53]	10, 9; (females)	14 days after detoxification	Left DLPFC	10 daily sessions	1000 pulses	20 Hz	90% MT	Yes	Craving, assessed by OCDS; depressive symptoms, assessed by BDI; AB for neutral and alcohol related pictures	No reduction in craving and no effect on mood; increase AB for alcohol related pictures
Herremans et al. (2012) [52]	36	After detoxification	Right DLPFC	1 session	40 trains of 1.9 s	20 Hz	110% MT	Yes	Craving, assessed by OCDS	No effect on immediate and long-term craving
de Ridder et al. (2011) [54]	1; (female)	Active drinking period	dACC	daily sessions during 5 weeks	600 pulses	1 Hz	50% machine output	No	Craving, assessed by VAS	Reduction in immediate craving and consumption; relapse after 3 months with increased craving after 3 months

DLPFC: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; dACC: Dorsal anterior cingulated cortex; MT: motor threshold; VAS: visual analogue scale; ACQ-NOW: Alcohol Craving Questionnaire; OCDS: obsessive compulsive drinking scale; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory; AB: attentional blink.