Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

D ifferent neuromodulation techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are now being investigated for their ability to treat addiction. In alcohol dependent patients, high frequency (HF)-rTMS is able to reduce alcohol craving, an important risk factor in relapse. However, the neurobiological effect of HF-rTMS in such patients is poorly understood. To address some of these unresolved questions we conducted a brain imaging study in a sample of recently detoxified alcohol dependent patients who underwent fifteen HF-rTMS sessions at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The effect of stimulation was evaluated by means of an alcohol-related cue-exposure during fMRI. Results and implications of this study will be discussed

Biography

Sarah C Herremans is a psychiatrist at the University Hospital of Brussels, Belgium. She graduated as a medical doctor at the Free University of Brussels in 2006, after which she specialized in psychiatry. She graduated as a psychiatrist and started her PhD in 2011. Her field of research concerns the application of HF-rTMS in alcohol dependent patients.