Wesley Michael J, Lile Joshua A
Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States.
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States.
Front Neurosci. 2023 Jul 24;17:1150109. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1150109. eCollection 2023.
Psychotropic drugs and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are effective for treating certain psychiatric conditions. Drugs and TMS have also been used as tools to explore the relationship between brain function and behavior in humans. Combining centrally acting drugs and TMS has proven useful for characterizing the neural basis of movement. This combined intervention approach also holds promise for improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying disordered behavior associated with psychiatric conditions, including addiction, though challenges exist. For example, altered neocortical function has been implicated in substance use disorder, but the relationship between acute neuromodulation of neocortex with TMS and direct effects on addiction-related behaviors is not well established. We propose that the combination of human behavioral pharmacology methods with TMS can be leveraged to help establish these links. This perspective article describes an ongoing study that combines the administration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, with neuroimaging-guided TMS in individuals with problematic cannabis use. The study examines the impact of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) stimulation on cognitive outcomes impacted by THC intoxication, including the subjective response to THC and the impairing effects of THC on behavioral performance. A framework for integrating TMS with human behavioral pharmacology methods, along with key details of the study design, are presented. We also discuss challenges, alternatives, and future directions.
精神药物和经颅磁刺激（TMS）对治疗某些精神疾病有效。药物和TMS也被用作探索人类大脑功能与行为之间关系的工具。事实证明，将中枢作用药物与TMS相结合有助于确定运动的神经基础。这种联合干预方法也有望加深我们对包括成瘾在内的与精神疾病相关的紊乱行为潜在机制的理解，尽管存在挑战。例如，新皮质功能改变与物质使用障碍有关，但TMS对新皮质的急性神经调节与对成瘾相关行为的直接影响之间的关系尚未明确。我们认为，可以利用人类行为药理学方法与TMS的结合来帮助建立这些联系。这篇观点文章描述了一项正在进行的研究，该研究将大麻中主要的精神活性化合物Δ-9-四氢大麻酚（THC）的给药与对有问题大麻使用个体进行神经成像引导的TMS相结合。该研究考察了左侧背外侧前额叶皮质（DLPFC）刺激对受THC中毒影响的认知结果的影响，包括对THC的主观反应以及THC对行为表现的损害作用。本文介绍了一个将TMS与人类行为药理学方法相结合的框架，以及研究设计的关键细节。我们还讨论了挑战、替代方案和未来方向。
