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. 2025 Jan 14:12:1494313.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1494313. eCollection 2024.

Neuromodulatory effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on cue reactivity and craving in young adults with internet gaming disorder: an event-related potential study

Sung Nyun Kim  1 , Jung-Seok Choi  2 , Minkyung Park  2 , So Young Yoo  3 , Areum Choi  2 , Ja Wook Koo  4   5 , Ung Gu Kang  6
Affiliations

Neuromodulatory effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on cue reactivity and craving in young adults with internet gaming disorder: an event-related potential study

Sung Nyun Kim et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cue reactivity and craving for game-related cues using event-related potentials (ERPs) in internet gaming disorder (IGD) patients.

Methods: At baseline, a series of game-related and neutral pictures were shown to both IGD and healthy controls (HCs) while ERPs were recorded. Late positive potentials (LPP) were used to investigate cue reactivity. During intervention, IGD patients received 10 sessions (two sessions/day for 5 consecutive days, 2 mA for 20 min/session) of tDCS to the left (anode stimulation) and right (cathode) dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Subjectively assessed craving and LPP component was analyzed before stimulation and at the 1-month follow-up after tDCS in IGD.

Results: At baseline, patients with IGD showed higher LPP amplitudes for game-related cues in the centro-parietal and parietal regions than HCs. After 10 sessions of tDCS, increased LPP amplitudes decreased significantly at 1-month follow-up., as well as subjective craving for gaming.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that neurophysiological arousal in response to game-related cues in the IGD group could be modulated by the effects of tDCS. LPP was a significant neurophysiological marker of the neuroplastic response of cue reactivity underlying the therapeutic effect of tDCS on IGD. Based on the present findings, tDCS could be expanded to the treatment of other addictive disorders, including substance use disorder and behavioral addictions.

Keywords: ERP; craving; cue reactivity; internet gaming disorder; tDCS.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) tDCS electrode placement and ERP electrode sites including CP3, CP1, P3, P1, and Pz. (B) Changes of late positive potential (baseline and post-tDCS at 1 month f/u) at electrodes (CP3, CP1, P3, P1, and Pz). (C) Late positive potential waveforms elicited by the game-related stimuli at the P3 electrode site (baseline, post-tDCS at 1 month f/u).
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