The Effect of Non Invasive Brain Stimulation [Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)] on Craving In Alcohol Dependent Patients

Not Applicable

Completed

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

1) Alcohol Use Disorder as per DSM 5 criteria and Severe Dependence [Severity of Dependence

Questionnaire (SADQ) score greater than 30]

2) Craving on Current Assessment [Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) score greater than 1]

3) Age between 18 and 45 years

4) Right handed (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory)

5) Willing to give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1)Other current substance use disorder as per DSM 5 (except nicotine)

2)Current and past psychiatric comorbidity in the last 6 months as per DSM 5, assessed during

workup

3)History of complicated alcohol withdrawal in the last 6 months

4)Current or past history of Wernicke s Encephalopathy, Korsakoff Syndrome

5)Patients who have received mECT or any other form of brain neuromodulation in past 6 months.

6)Clinical or past history suggestive of Intellectual Disability

7) History suggestive of substantial brain damage, brain aneurysm, any other neurological disorder

or history of neurosurgery.

8) Decompensated systemic illness (eg. Decompensated hepatic encephalopathy or decompensated cirrhosis) interfering with neurocognitive performance

9)Physical Disability limiting use of computer for online tasks

10) On Benzodiazepines, Anticholinergics, Opioids

11) Patients with medical implants such as defibrillators or pacemakers or brain aneurysmal clips.

12) Patients with relative contraindications to tDCS like migraine, skin lesions involving scalp, etc.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Craving for Alcohol, measured by the decrease in Obsessive <br/ ><br>Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) at 1 month after completion of 10 session tDCSTimepoint: Craving for Alcohol, measured by the decrease by OCDS at 1 month after completion of 10 session tDCS

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
2) In Executive function as measured by Stop Signal Reaction TimeTimepoint: 1 month and 3 months after 10 sessions of tDCS;3) In alteration of pre-frontal cortex Hb (Haemoglobin) saturation parameters (HbO2, HHb and tHb) by fNIRS (Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy).Timepoint: 1 month and 3 months after 10 sessions of tDCS;Active vs sham comparison in Alcohol dependence patients with SADQ score more than 30 and receiving <br/ ><br>10 sessions of tDCS <br/ ><br>1) In alcohol use related parameters by Timeline Follow Back methodTimepoint: 1 month and 3 months after 10 sessions of tDCS