Accelerated HF-rTMS Protocol has a Rate-Dependent Effect on dACC Activation in Alcohol-Dependent Patients: An Open-Label Feasibility Study.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2016;
40:196-205. [PMID:
26727534 DOI:
10.1111/acer.12937]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The application of accelerated high-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could be a potential treatment option for alcohol-dependent patients and may result in a faster clinical response. In this open-label HF-rTMS feasibility study, we wanted to replicate previous findings of baseline brain activation as a predictor of relapse, and to evaluate how this intervention influences the relapse neurocircuit of "treatment-seeking" alcohol-dependent patients, by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) cue-exposure paradigms. Because relapsing patients have a diminished resilience of the emotion regulation/cognitive control system, before HF-rTMS treatment, we expected lower neuronal activation of especially the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during the presentation of alcohol-related cues in these patients. The relapse neurocircuit should be modified after accelerated HF-rTMS treatment, only in those patients who did not relapse.
METHODS
After being administered a single sham-controlled HF-rTMS session (20 Hz to 110% motor threshold), 19 alcohol-dependent patients received an accelerated HF-rTMS protocol, consisting of 14 right dorsolateral prefrontal cortical sessions spread over 3 days. Before and after stimulation, during fMRI patients were confronted with a block and an event-related alcoholic cue-exposure paradigm. Relapse was defined as the consumption of any amount of alcohol within 4 weeks after the stimulation. A region of interest analysis was performed to evaluate how HF-rTMS exerts its effect.
RESULTS
After 4 weeks, 13 of 19 patients had already consumed alcohol. When abstainers were compared to patients who had relapsed, we found higher dorsal ACC (dACC) activation at baseline, but only during the blocked cue-exposure paradigm. The effects of HF-rTMS on dACC blood oxygen level-dependent response were negatively correlated with the baseline dACC activation. Due to susceptibility artifacts located at the ventral cortical aspects in 6 of our participants, reliable data were only obtained for the ACC.
CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that higher baseline dACC activation may serve as a protective mechanism regarding relapse. For the first time, it is demonstrated that accelerated HF-rTMS treatment influences dACC activation in a rate-dependent manner: the lower the baseline dACC activation, the more dACC activity was increased after HF-rTMS treatment.
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