Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33119491›Full record

Trial reportJournal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN2021

Efficacy of single-session transcranial direct current stimulation on addiction-related inhibitory control and craving: a randomized trial in males with Internet gaming disorder.

Lu-Lu Wu, Marc N Potenza, Nan Zhou, Hedy Kober, Xin-Hui Shi, Sarah W Yip, Jia-Hua Xu, Lei Zhu, Rui Wang, Guan-Qun Liu and 1 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03352973 (Regulation of Craving in Internet Gamers), which is not on this map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT03352973 nacompletednot on this map

Regulation of Craving in Internet Gamers: Neural Mechanisms and tDCS Intervention

TypeinterventionalSponsorBeijing Normal UniversityRan2018 to 2018Enrolled20ConditionsInternet Gaming DisorderArmsactive tDCS on the dlPFC, sham tDCS on the dlPFC
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. Effectiveness of Therapeutic Interventions in the Treatment of Internet Gaming Disorder: A Systematic Review.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Lu-Lu WuFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Marc N PotenzaFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Nan ZhouFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Hedy KoberFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Xin-Hui ShiFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Sarah W YipFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Jia-Hua XuFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Lei ZhuFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Rui WangFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Guan-Qun LiuFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Jin-Tao ZhangFrom the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Wu, Xu, Shi, Zhu, Wang, Liu, Zhang); the Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza, Kober, Yip); the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA (Potenza); the Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA (Potenza); the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Zhou); and the Department of Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Kober).
Yale University · USMcGovern Institute for Brain Research · USBeijing Normal University · CNChinese Institute for Brain Research · CNConnecticut Mental Health Center · US

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
TSF to enhance treatment of cocaine dependenceP50DA009241 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI CARROLL, KATHLEEN M. · 1994 to 2018
$40.5M
Regulation of Craving Under Stress: Neural Mechanisms and Novel ModelR01DA042911 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI KOBER, HEDY · 2017 to 2021
$3.2M
Meta-Analysis and Machine Learning: Towards Neuromarkers of Craving and RelapseR01DA043690 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI KOBER, HEDY · 2017 to 2019
$1.3M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NIDA NIH HHS P50 DA009241NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA042911NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA043690
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) may reduce substance use and other addictive behaviours. However, the cognitive mechanisms that underpin such effects remain unclear. Impaired inhibitory control linked to hypoactivation of the prefrontal cortex may allow craving-related motivations to lead to compulsive addictive behaviours. However, very few studies have examined whether increasing the activation of the dlPFC via anodal tDCS could enhance inhibitory control over addiction-related distractors. The current study aimed to enrich empirical evidence related to this issue.

methodsThirty-three males with Internet gaming disorder underwent active (1.5 mA for 20 minutes) and sham tDCS 1 week apart, in randomized order. We assessed inhibitory control over gaming-related distractors and craving pre- and post-stimulation.

resultsRelative to sham treatment, active tDCS reduced interference from gaming-related (versus non-gaming) distractors and attenuated background craving, but did not affect cue-induced craving. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its relatively small sample size and the fact that it lacked assessments of tDCS effects on addictive behaviour. Future tDCS studies with multiple sessions in larger samples are warranted to examine the effects on addictive behaviours of alterations in addiction-related inhibitory control.

conclusionThese findings demonstrate that stimulation of the dlPFC influences inhibitory control over addiction-related cues and addiction-related motivation. This is the first empirical study to suggest that enhanced inhibitory control may be a cognitive mechanism underlying the effects of tDCS on addictions like Internet gaming disorder. Our finding of attenuated background craving replicated previous tDCS studies. Intriguingly, our finding of distinct tDCS effects on 2 forms of craving suggests that they may have disparate underlying mechanisms or differential sensitivity to tDCS. CLINICAL TRIALS #: NCT03352973.

Indexed as

CravingExecutive FunctionInhibition, PsychologicalPrefrontal CortexTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAdolescentAdultHumansInternet Addiction DisorderMaleOutcome Assessment, Health CareYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID33119491
PMCPMC7955853
OpenAlexW3096700540

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 Socratic graph.