Neuromodulation Applications in Alcohol Use Disorder

National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism

Investigators

Abstract

NEUROFEEDBACK – We have now completed data collection for stage 2 of this intervention study. The study will be determining whether those AUD treatment seeking patients who received real time neurofeedback of their brain activity during an fMRI session had differential response to alcohol craving both in terms of their neural activity as well as self-report craving. TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULUS – We have developed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, sham-controlled, phase II clinical trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study will focus on neurophysiological changes in brains of AUD inpatients resulting from intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS). Self-reported levels of alcohol craving and consumption, neural functional alterations to alcoholic cue reactivity, as well as TMS-induced changes of whole-brain connectivity will be assessed at baseline, during treatment, and follow-up. We hypothesize that TMS will normalize dysfunctional connectivity of the salience network, which involves the anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, and ventral striatum. We believe that TMS engagement of the salience network will reduce alcohol craving and consumption in AUD.