Open AccessChoosing the Optimal Brain Target for Neuromodulation Therapies as Alcohol Addiction Progresses—Insights From Pre-Clinical Studies
Author(s) -
Henriette Edemann-Callesen,
Segev Barak,
Ravit Hadar,
Christine Winter
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
current addiction reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 2196-2952
DOI - 10.1007/s40429-020-00316-w
Subject(s) - addiction , neuromodulation , psychology , neuroplasticity , neuroscience , alcohol addiction , psychotherapist , relapse prevention , medicine , clinical psychology , psychiatry , central nervous system
Purpose of the Review Development of addiction involves a transition from reward-driven to habitual behavior, mediated by neuroplastic changes. Based on preclinical findings, this article article reviews the current knowledge on the use of neuromodulation therapies to target alcohol addiction and essentially reduce relapse. Recent Findings To date, only a limited number of preclinical studies have investigated the use of neuromodulation in alcohol addiction, with the focus being on targeting the brain reward system. However, as addiction develops, additional circuits are recruited. Therefore, a differential setup may be required when seeking to alter the chronic alcohol-dependent brain, as opposed to treating earlier phases of alcohol addiction. Summary To promote enduring relapse prevention, the choice of brain target should match the stage of the disorder. Further studies are needed to investigate which brain areas should be targeted by neuromodulating strategies, in order to sufficiently alter the behavior and pathophysiology as alcohol addiction progresses.