ReviewThe International journal on drug policy2023
Treating addiction with deep brain stimulation: Ethical and legal considerations.
Review in The International journal on drug policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of rodent studies of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of neurological, developmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.Translational psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Current Neuroethical Perspectives on Deep Brain Stimulation and Neuromodulation for Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review of the Past 10 Years.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Harnessing the sensing and stimulation function of deep brain-machine interfaces: a new dawn for overcoming substance use disorders.Translational psychiatry · 2024Review
- Deep brain stimulation for psychostimulant use disorders.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2024Review
- Addressing cortex dysregulation in youth through brain health check coaching and prophylactic brain development.INNOSC theranostics & pharmacological sciences · 2024Article
- Role of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in addiction disorders.Surgical neurology international · 2023Review
- Oxycodone-induced dopaminergic and respiratory effects are modulated by deep brain stimulation.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe use of neuromodulation in the treatment of psychiatric conditions is controversial despite its lengthy history. This particularly applies to the use of invasive neuromodulation, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), to treat substance use disorder (SUD) due to the considerable risks of the procedures. However, given the advances in DBS research and the shortcomings of current treatment modalities for addiction, off-label use and clinical trials are being implemented for the management of treatment-refractory patients.
methodsHere we conduct an ethical and legal analysis of DBS for SUD, referencing the four foundational principles of medical ethics and key legal concepts.
resultsThere are major concerns related to the capacity of a SUD patient to provide informed consent, as well as the risks and benefits of DBS compared to traditional treatment methods. In addition to ethical concerns, we explore potential legal issues that may arise from DBS in the treatment of addiction. These include the potential mandate of these procedures in the context of the criminalization of substance use, and the issue of familial consent in the decision-making process. Given the paucity of relevant clinical guidelines or legal cases, general medico-legal principles serve as the reference in making decisions about the responsible use of DBS as a treatment for addiction.
conclusionsGiven the rapidly increasing evidence for DBS as a treatment for SUD, it is an urgent imperative to consider the relevant key ethical and legal issues. Incorporating IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term follow-up) framework into future research in DBS is recommended to evaluate patient safety and ethical perspectives. With the broad criminalization of SUD across the globe, legal coercion of DBS is not impossible, especially if proven to be effective to treat SUD. It is advised for stakeholders to urgently consider incorporating DBS-related drug policies so that the potential benefits of DBS within the rights of people with SUD are not hindered by the lack of clinical guidance and legislations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.