NCT01658592

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens and the Ventral Anterior Internal Capsule for Severe Alcohol Addiction

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Nucleus Accumbens and the Ventral Anterior Internal Capsule as a Novel Treatment in Severe Alcohol Addiction

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Guodong Gao · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The main objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the ventral anterior internal capsule (VC) as a novel treatment in severe alcohol addiction. The included patients have been treated so far with drugs that inhibits alcohol, or psychological behavior training. Our hypothesis is that bilateral NAc-VC DBS will significantly reduce the craving for alcohol and thus enable the patients to decrease their alcohol intake substantially.

Detailed description

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is considered associating with addiction. The ventral anterior internal capsule(VC) is proved a effective target to obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD). Like other addiction behaviors most alcohol addicts contain obsessive compulsive symptom. We explored an operation method, that is, in the Leksell stereotactic positioning system take VC as the point of entry, take NAc as the point of target, then make sure that the distance between entry and target points are included in the four contacts of electrode of DBS. When stimulator is ON the investigators can adjust parameters so that the coverage of electrode contains both Vc and NAc. The investigators suppose that bilateral NAc-VC DBS will significantly reduce the craving for alcohol and thus enable the patients to decrease their alcohol intake substantially.

Conditions

• Addiction

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Deep brain stimulation	Stimulator setting is ON
OTHER	Placebo	Stimulator setting is OFF

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-07-01
• Primary completion: 2014-03-01
• Completion: 2014-03-01
• First posted: 2012-08-07
• Last updated: 2012-08-07

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China