Transcranial direct current stimulation intervention for smoking cessation: research protocol
Tobacco use is one of the biggest preventable causes of death in the world, causing more than seven million deaths every year. Although there are many treatments focused on smoking cessation, most of them have low success rates. Thus, it is considered one of the most serious public health threats of...
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| Format: | master thesis |
| Publication Date: | 2019 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) |
| Repository: | O2, repositorio institucional de la UOC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:openaccess.uoc.edu:10609/139029 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10609/139029 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | tabac adicció tDCS tabaco adición tobacco addiction Neuropsychology -- TFM Neuropsicología -- TFM Neuropsicologia -- TFM |
| Summary: | Tobacco use is one of the biggest preventable causes of death in the world, causing more than seven million deaths every year. Although there are many treatments focused on smoking cessation, most of them have low success rates. Thus, it is considered one of the most serious public health threats of our time. In this context, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears as an innovative treatment for addictive behaviors. tDCS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that uses weak electrical currents applied to the scalp to increase or decrease cortical excitability. This tool is safe, inexpensive, and easy to administer. In the last 10 years, some studies using tDCS to treat tobacco addiction have obtained promising results, mostly demonstrating a significant reduction of nicotine cravings and/or consumption. However, many of the studies focused on addictions and conducted until now are based on a single tDCS session, while only a few of them are sham-controlled and based on repeated daily sessions with active tDCS. These limitations only allow recommending a level of evidence B regarding the efficacy of tDCS to reduce craving in patients with various types of addiction. This study raises an intervention protocol using tDCS for the reduction of tobacco use. It presents important innovations, such as the use of a more focused stimulation, the size of the sample, and the number of sessions. Positive results would have an impact on scientific, economic, social, and clinical levels. |
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