Brain 'Zap' Treatment Might Curb Smoking
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Aug. 6, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A kind of ‘zap’ to the brain — a technique called noninvasive brain stimulation — may help hardcore smokers cut back, a new research review suggests.
Nicotine can trigger changes in the brain that make it hard to quit, so researchers have been looking for ways to use noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques to counter abnormal brain activity caused by nicotine addiction.
In this review, researchers analyzed 12 trials of different NIBS methods on a combined total of 710 people addicted to nicotine.
Several techniques showed promising results, but high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of a brain area involved in memory and decision-making was associated with the greatest reduction in number of cigarettes smoked per day.
None of the NIBS techniques reviewed appeared to reduce the severity of nicotine craving or addiction.
NIBS may boost dopamine release and counterbalance the brain’s reward system, helping smokers deal with craving and withdrawal symptoms, according to study author Dr. Cheng-Ta Li, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, and his colleagues.
The findings were published Aug. 4 in the journal Addiction.
Li and his team noted that trial dropout rates among participants undergoing any of the NIBS methods were not significantly different from control groups. That suggests these treatments are well-tolerated, the researchers said in a journal news release.
Nicotine affects the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, increasing brain activity and the release of dopamine. Higher levels of dopamine provide feelings of pleasure for smokers, the authors said.
Long-term nicotine exposure causes the brain to produce more receptors to handle the increased brain activity. When a smoker tries to quit and nicotine levels fall, a decrease in activity in the brain’s reward system causes withdrawal symptoms that make it hard to cut back or quit smoking.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a guide for quitting smoking.
SOURCE: Addiction, news release, Aug. 4, 2021
MONDAY, Feb. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Bans on evictions and utility shutoffs during the pandemic may not only be ENGAGE+
The first medicine that's been proven to reduce deaths among people infected with coronavirus is expected to save thousands of ENGAGE+
... UC Berkeley, Darya received her PhD from UC San Francisco and writes about food, health and weight loss. Her ENGAGE+
By Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- "Prediabetes" -- where blood ENGAGE+
Some of the biggest weight losses from the show, including Nikki, who has lost an amazing 455-lb over the course ENGAGE+
The damage being done to many hospital services in England by the coronavirus pandemic is revealed in new NHS figures. ENGAGE+
... video: Here's what losing weight does to your body and brain. During the first week, you may find it ENGAGE+
Hakon Rian Ueland, 54, one of the campaigners who helped bring about medication-free treatment in Norway, believes that this conversation ENGAGE+