title: Ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) as a target of the dorsolateral prefrontal modulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in drug addiction.
abstract: Here, we report some electrophysiologic and imaging effects of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in drug addiction, notably in alcohol and crack-cocaine dependence. The low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) analysis obtained through event-related potentials (ERPs) under drug-related cues, more specifically in its P3 segment (300-500 ms) in both, alcoholics and crack-cocaine users, showed that the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was the brain area with the largest change towards increasing activation under drug-related cues in those subjects that kept abstinence during and after the treatment with bilateral tDCS (2 mA, 35 cm(2), cathodal left and anodal right) over dlPFC, applied repetitively (five daily sessions). In an additional study in crack-cocaine, which showed craving decreases after repetitive bilateral tDCS, we examined data originating from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and we found increased DTI parameters in the left connection between vmPFC and nucleus accumbens (NAcc), such as the number of voxels, fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), in tDCS-treated crack-cocaine users when compared to the sham-tDCS group. This increasing of DTI parameters was significantly correlated with craving decreasing after the repetitive tDCS. The vmPFC relates to the control of drug seeking, possibly by extinguishing this behavior. In our studies, the bilateral dlPFC tDCS reduced relapses and craving to the drug use, and increased the vmPFC activation under drug cues, which may be of a great importance in the control of drug use in drug addiction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil. emnpalacios@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ester Miyuki
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Nakamura-Palacios
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabela Bittencourt Coutinho
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodolpho Albuquerque
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaisa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klauss
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edson Kruger
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Catarine Lima
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Marechal Campos, 1468, Vitória-ES, 29.043-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janine Andrade
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Moscon
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória-ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Stênio Moll
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010045:Outpatients; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Alcohol; Crack-cocaine; Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Drug addiction; Transcranial direct current stimulation; Ventral medial prefrontal cortex