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Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive neurostimulation treatment, has been shown to reduce craving for and use of nicotine. In this study from China, investigators tested the effects of bilateral tDCS on cravings for heroin by randomly assigning 20 men (mean age, 40) with heroin addiction (mean duration, 17 years; range, 5–25) to tDCS of the parietal–frontal–temporal (PFT) region for 20 minutes or to a control condition in which tDCS was turned off after only 30 seconds.
Cue-induced craving was assessed, before and after stimulation, as participants watched a video of heroin use. Self-reported craving scores declined significantly in the 20-minute tDCS group but not in the control group. The intervention had no report…