Paper Presentation: Effectiveness of tDCS in Reduction of Craving in Alcohol Dependence Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Alcohol Dependence is a chronic relapsing-remitting condition which has mostly shown moderate response to first line treatment options. tDCS has been explored as a potential therapeutic augmentation method in recent studies. AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS in reducing craving in alcohol dependence syndrome. METHODS: A randomized single-blind sham-controlled study was conducted at the CEIMH, ABVIMS and Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi (1st November 2018 to 31st March 2020). Males (N=46) aged 18-50 years, diagnosed with alcohol dependence by ICD-10 were included in the study after screening for dependence by AUDIT. They were randomized to Groups A:- tDCS Group (n = 23) and B:- Sham tDCS Group (n = 23). A current of 2mA was applied for 20 minutes, twice a day for 5 days with a total 10 sessions on left (cathode) and right (anode) DLPFC. After the final session, VAS (Visual Analogue Scale for alcohol craving) and PACS (PENN Alcohol Craving Scale) were applied to compare the treatment effectiveness. RESULTS: After 10 sessions both VAS and PENN scores (VAS score in Group A [1.17 (±1.11)] and Group B [4.78 (±2.88)] with P = 0.0001; and the PENN score in Group A [6.17 (±4.67)] and Group B [15.43 (±8.15)] with P =0.0002) were significantly reduced in the tDCS group. CONCLUSION: Study reported significant reduction in craving as reported by the VAS and PACS scores in patients treated with the tDCS. This stimulation protocol is a promising, non-expensive, add-on clinical tool that can help reduce alcohol craving in persons with alcohol dependence syndrome.