In January 2023 a brain neuromodulation clinic to treat nicotine addiction was activated at the University Hospital “G. Martino".
The care pathway, implemented within the hospital, includes a combined therapeutic program of neuromodulation techniques to treat nicotine addiction and improve behaviors associated with it. These are transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). These are recognized and recommended reference therapies, thanks to the advantages related to safety, tolerability, cost-effectiveness and compatibility with other possible treatments. The person undergoing the therapy is awake and there are no side effects after the treatment. The magnetic fields and/or electric currents, at very low intensity and not perceptible by people, are concentrated on the brain area of interest in order to modulate the connections between neurons. In fact, long-lasting changes in neural connections induce long-lasting and persistent changes in brain activity, reversing the anomalous patterns determined by addiction.
