The Effects of Combined Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) with Mindfulness on Negative Emotions and Craving in Adolescents with Methamphetamine Dependence

Background: Mindfulness-based substance abuse treatment and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been proposed as a potential approach to improve negative emotions and reduce craving in persons with substance use disorders. Recent studies suggest that tDCS may enhance psychological interventions. Objectives: The current study, hence, investigated the effects of combined tDCS with mindfulness-based substance abuse treatment (MBSAT) to improve negative emotions and reduce craving in adolescents with methamphetamine dependence. Patients and Methods: Eighty early-abstinent methamphetamine users aged between 18 and 21 were randomly assigned to the research groups (tDCS group (n = 20), mindfulness group (n = 20), combined mindfulness-tDCS group (n = 20), and sham group (n = 20). Active tDCS (intensity of 1.5 mA, with 20 min duration) or sham tDCS (intensity of 0.0 mA, with 20 min duration) was used over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and the MBSAT protocol was used over twelve 50-min sessions. Results: Negative emotions significantly improved in the combination group receiving real tDCS + MBSAT (PIN-CODES), as compared to baseline values and sham stimulation group. Similarly, a significant reduction in craving was observed after intervention in the tDCS + MBSAT group but not in the sham stimulation group. Also, a significant correlation was shown between the enhancement of negative emotions and the decrease of craving in the combination group (tDCS + MBSAT) compared to the other groups. Conclusions: The findings of the present study confirm the effectiveness of the combined approach of mindfulness therapy with electrical stimulation in substance use groups