Electrostimulation in drug and alcohol detoxification: significance of stimulation criteria in clinical success

MARGARET A. PATTERSON; LORNE PATTERSON; NOEL V. FLOOD; JOSEPH R. WINSTON; SEAN I. PATTERSON

ADDICTION RESEARCH & THEORY

Año: 1993 vol. 1 p. 130 - 144

Transcranial application of electrostimulation is a form of treatment for drug and alcohol addiction whose clinical efficacy is disputed; although its application as transcranial or non-transcranial electrostimulation in tissue healing and pain control has won wide acceptance. The dispute in addiction applications arises from the difficulty of independent replication of the results of controlled clinical trials. Here, the authors analyse the results of three published successful applications of electrostimulation in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. All three groups independently concluded that the specific parameters of electrical current application were central to therapeutic success. While the range of parameters covered in these studies suggests some tolerance in the overall mode of application, ´windows´ of current level and pulse frequency have been identified that are important for different clinical applications. Review of the scientific literature reveals reports of similar windows of current parameters for effects from gene activation to embryogenesis. We suggest that failure to replicate results in clinical settings may arise from lack of understanding of the importance of exact current parameters, and emphasise the necessity for accurate and complete descriptions of the currents used.