The Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on the Reinstatement of Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Rats

BACKGROUND: The abuse of methamphetamine (METH) has become a public health problem worldwide. This type of new drug can not only lead to addiction but can also cause cognitive impairment. Currently, there is no effective treatment. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a painless and non-invasive green physiotherapy which can be used in the clinical treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease. However, whether it can be used to treat methamphetamine addiction is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of rTMS on the relapse behavior of methamphetamine addiction. METHODS: METH-induced rats conditioned place preference (CPP) model and rTMS technique were used in this study. Rats were given high frequency(10Hz) rTMS treatment for one day (experiment 1) or three days (experiment 2) after the extinction of CPP behavior. The reinstatement test was performed 24 hours after rTMS treatment and the effects of acute and chronic rTMS on the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP in rats were explored. RESULTS: Acute rTMS treatment (1 day) had a trend of an inhibitory effect on the relapse behavior of METH-induced CPP, but it was not statistically significant compared with the sham stimulation group (t=1.48, p=0.431). However, chronic rTMS treatment (3 days) had a significant inhibitory effect on the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP compared with the sham stimulation group (t=3.33, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Chronic rTMS treatment inhibited the relapse behavior of METH-induced CPP in rats.