Deep Brain Stimulation for Substance Abuse

Abstract

Substance abuse represents a significant public health issue, yet current standard treatments are largely ineffective. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery may offer an effective interventional approach to treat substance abuse by enabling direct manipulation of neural circuits. DBS has been successfully used in patients with movement disorders and, more recently, in select psychiatric conditions. The ability of DBS surgery to address addictive behavior, however, critically relies upon fundamental knowledge of reward pathways within the brain. Recent evidence has provided insight into those pathways, and studies using DBS surgery in animal models of addiction and reports describing the successful use of DBS in humans with substance abuse disorders provide encouraging support for the feasibility of DBS in treating addiction. Here, we review the pathophysiological mechanisms of addiction and the currently available literature on the application of DBS for substance abuse.