title: Nucleus Accumbens Deep Brain Stimulation for Alcohol Addiction - Safety and Clinical Long-term Results of a Pilot Trial.
abstract: We report on the long-term clinical outcome (up to 8 years) of 5 patients who received deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens to treat their long-lasting and treatment-resistant alcohol addiction. All patients reported a complete absence of craving for alcohol; 2 patients remained abstinent for many years and 3 patients showed a marked reduction of alcohol consumption. No severe or long-standing side effects occurred. Therefore, DBS could be a promising, novel treatment option for severe alcohol addiction, but larger clinical trials are needed to further investigate the efficacy of DBS in addiction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: U J
authors.initials: UJ
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Department of Stereotaxy and Functional Neurosurgery, University of Cologne, Cologne.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.affiliation: Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Voges
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Heinze
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galazky
authors.affiliation: Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Büntjen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heldmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frodl
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bogerts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000628:therapy*; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires