Safe and effective therapeutics for psychostimulant use disorders remain elusive. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), which is FDA-approved for other indications, is a promising candidate for treating severe substance use disorders. We examine the clinical and preclinical evidence for DBS of the nucleus accumbens as a possible therapeutic option for cocaine and methamphetamine use disorders. Limitations of the literature to date, including the lack of females included in studies evaluating the efficacy of DBS, and new strategies to optimize brain stimulation approaches are also discussed.
Keywords: Cocaine; Deep brain stimulation; Methamphetamine; Nucleus accumbens; Substance use disorders.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.