Original Article
Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens for the treatment of addiction
Ulf J. Müller,
Jürgen Voges,
Johann Steiner,
Imke Galazky,
Hans-Jochen Heinze,
Michaela Möller,
Jared Pisapia,
Casey Halpern,
Arthur Caplan,
Bernhard Bogerts,
Jens Kuhn,
Corresponding Author
Ulf J. Müller
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Ulf J. Müller, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospitals Magdburg, Leipzigerstrasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany. [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorJürgen Voges
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery
Search for more papers by this authorJohann Steiner
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Search for more papers by this authorImke Galazky
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorHans-Jochen Heinze
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorMichaela Möller
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorJared Pisapia
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—Neurosurgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorCasey Halpern
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—Neurosurgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorArthur Caplan
Division of Medical Ethics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorBernhard Bogerts
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Search for more papers by this authorJens Kuhn
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorUlf J. Müller,
Jürgen Voges,
Johann Steiner,
Imke Galazky,
Hans-Jochen Heinze,
Michaela Möller,
Jared Pisapia,
Casey Halpern,
Arthur Caplan,
Bernhard Bogerts,
Jens Kuhn,
Corresponding Author
Ulf J. Müller
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Ulf J. Müller, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospitals Magdburg, Leipzigerstrasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany. [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorJürgen Voges
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery
Search for more papers by this authorJohann Steiner
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Search for more papers by this authorImke Galazky
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorHans-Jochen Heinze
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorMichaela Möller
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorJared Pisapia
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—Neurosurgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorCasey Halpern
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—Neurosurgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorArthur Caplan
Division of Medical Ethics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Search for more papers by this authorBernhard Bogerts
Department of Psychiatry
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences Magdeburg
Search for more papers by this authorJens Kuhn
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Despite novel medications and other therapeutic strategies, addiction to psychotropic substances remains one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. In this review, beginning with an introduction of deep brain stimulation (DBS), we highlight the importance of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the context of the reward circuitry and addictive behavior. We will provide a short historic overview of other neurosurgical approaches to treat addiction and describe the experimental and preclinical data on DBS in addiction. Finally, we call attention to key ethical issues related to using DBS to treat addiction that are important for future research and the design of clinical trials.
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