Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
Anterior Cingulate Implant for Alcohol Dependence: Case Report
Dirk De Ridder1, Patrick Manning, Paul Glue
1*Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; ‡Section of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; §Department of Psychological Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; ¶Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany; ‖School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas, Dallas, Texas.
This study shows that stimulating the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) can effectively reduce alcohol craving and associated anxiety in treatment-resistant patients. Long-term results indicate sustained sobriety and improved mental well-being.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Alcohol dependence involves dysfunctional brain processes influenced by genetics and environment.
- Craving, a key factor in relapse, is linked to abnormal brain activity patterns.
Observation:
- A case report details a patient with treatment-intractable alcohol dependence, agoraphobia, and anxiety.
- Functional imaging (fMRI, EEG) localized craving-related brain activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC).
Findings:
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the dACC transiently suppressed severe alcohol craving for up to 6 weeks.
- Implanted electrodes for bilateral dACC stimulation using novel burst stimulation led to rapid improvement in craving, agoraphobia, and anxiety without withdrawal.
- The patient achieved over 18 months of sobriety with normalized EEG activity and sustained relief from anxiety and agoraphobia.
Implications:
- The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is proposed as a novel, pathophysiology-based surgical target for alcohol dependence.
- This approach may offer a promising new treatment avenue for intractable alcohol dependence, with or without comorbid anxiety and agoraphobia.
- Further larger studies are warranted to validate this treatment strategy.
More Related Videos
05:12Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
08:05A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018