NCT04923451

tDCS in Treatment of Craving in Sexual Addiction

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Sexual Addiction: an Innovative Treatment for a Better Understanding of the Physiopathology of Craving

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier St Anne · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

In patients with addiction to a substance, an increase in activity in the prefrontal cortex induced by transcranial Direct Current Stimulation -tDCS (non-invasive technique, modulating cortical activity by applying low-intensity electrical currents between two electrodes),may help reduce craving in people addicted to alcohol and tobacco. By analogy with addictive behavior with a substance, the craving observed in certain behavioral addictions would involve the same neural circuits. The main hypothesis is to reduce the sexual craving associated with the viewing of erotic images during active brain stimulation compared to placebo stimulation. Functional MRI will allow to better understand the neural circuits involved in sexual addiction and in the expected inhibition of sexual arousal by tDCS in sexual addictions during visualization erotic images.

Detailed description

The concept of sexual addiction appeared in American literature about 20 years ago. The term sexual addiction describes an excessive, increasing, and especially uncontrolled frequency of sexual behavior, as a conventional rule, associated with a compelling and irrepressible sexual desire (craving), which persists in spite of the possible negative consequences and personal suffering of the subject. The prevalence of this condition is estimated to be approximately 3-6% in the general population in the United States, it is independent of the socio-cultural environment. The pathophysiology of sexual addictions remains very poorly understood. Numerous studies have focused on substance addictions and their pathophysiology. The mesolimbic dopaminergic system plays a major role in addictive behavior. The prefrontal cortex and the basolateral region of the amygdala play an important role in the craving and may cause relapse in subjects. In subjects with sexual addiction, only one controlled study has been conducted on the role of antidepressant treatment in the reduction of craving. The objective of the study is not only to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS neurostimulation in this disorder but also to identify the brain structures involved in this addictive disorder.

Conditions

• Sexual Addiction
• Hypersexualism

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Active Trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)	5 active sessions (1/day for 5 consecutive days) of tDCS (NeuroConn DC), active anode 8cm2 on right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex and neutral cathode, 2 mA, during 30 min will be performed
DEVICE	Sham Trans-cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)	5 placebo sessions (1/day for 5 consecutive days) of sham tDCS (NeuroConn DC), anode 8cm2 on right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex and neutral cathode during 30min will be performed

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-07-01
• Primary completion: 2023-11-01
• Completion: 2024-10-01
• First posted: 2021-06-11
• Last updated: 2021-06-11