Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on the number of smoked cigarettes in tobacco smokers.

Faisal Alghamdi,Syed Shahid Habib,Abdullah Alatawi,Shirley Fecteau,Meshal Alohali,Tariq Almusned,Shahid Bashir,Ahmed Alhussien,Andrea Antal

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212312

Abstract

BackgroundRecent studies reported that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) reduced craving and cigarette smoking. We aimed to evaluate whether 3 sessions of tDCS over the DLPFC modulate cigarette smoking which is a critical factor in tobacco smokers.MethodsIn a double-blinded, sham-controlled, parallel experimental study, 22 participants who wished to quit smoking received tDCS with the cathodal over the right DLPFC and anodal over the left DLPFC based on the 10–20 EEG international system (F4, F3) at an intensity of 1.5 mA for 20 minutes during three consecutive days. For sham stimulation, the electrodes placement was the same as for the active stimulation.ResultsFor the short time interval (8 days after the end of the tDCS regimen), the number of smoked cigarettes was reduced similarly in the active and sham groups (p < 0.001). Also, at the long time-interval (4 months after the end of the tDCS regimen) as compared to pre-tDCS, there was no significant difference in the number of smoked cigarettes in the active (p = 0.806) or the sham (p = 0.573) groups. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences between the active and sham tDCS groups on cigarette smoking.ConclusionThese findings suggested that 3 sessions of tDCS over the right and left DLPFC may reduce number of smoked cigarettes for short-time period but might not be significantly more effective than sham to decrease cigarette smoking.

Highlights

Tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide
In a double-blinded, sham-controlled, parallel experimental study, 22 participants who wished to quit smoking received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the cathodal over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anodal over the left DLPFC based on the 10–20 EEG international system (F4, F3) at an intensity of 1.5 mA for 20 minutes during three consecutive days
There were no statistically significant differences between the active and sham tDCS groups on cigarette smoking. These findings suggested that 3 sessions of tDCS over the right and left DLPFC may reduce number of smoked cigarettes for short-time period but might not be significantly more effective than sham to decrease cigarette smoking

Summary

Introduction

Tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Smoking affects many systems in the body and causes serious and life-threatening conditions, such as lung cancer, stomach cancer, oral cancer, cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis [1,2,3,4,5,6]. According to the world health organization (WHO), tobacco smoking kills up to half of its users, with an estimated 7 million deaths per year [7]. Tobacco users who die prematurely deprive their families of income, raise the cost of healthcare and hinder economic development [7]. It is a very complex disease for which treatment is still a challenge. It has been estimated that, globally, smoking causes over 500 billion US dollars in economic damage each year [8]. We aimed to evaluate whether 3 sessions of tDCS over the DLPFC modulate cigarette smoking which is a critical factor in tobacco smokers

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