Deep Brain Stimulation of Nucleus Accumbens to Prevent Opiate Relapse

Deep Brain Stimulation of Nucleus Accumbens as a New Treatment to Prevent Relapse for Opiate Addicts

Nucleus accumbens plays important roles in the process of opiate addiction and initial of relapse after detoxification, deep brain stimulation of nucleus accumbens will inhibit its activity and thus to effectively prevent the relapse of the opiate dependence.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years old
• Long lasting heroin addiction (fulfilled diagnostic-criteria according to ICD-10)
• At least three detoxication-treatments without a long-term period of abstinence has already taken place
• Long-term inpatient treatment to support abstinence have occurred
• completion of detoxification treatment preoperatively with no somatic symptoms of withdrawal
• negative morphine urinalysis and naloxone tests
• Free patient's decision/informed Consent (existing comprehensive ability in meaning, methodology and execution of the study and ability of acceptance)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinical relevant psychiatric comorbidity (schizophrenic psychoses, bipolar affective diseases, severe personality disorder)
• Contraindications of a MRI-examination, e.g. implanted cardiac pacemaker/heart defibrillator
• Current and in the last six months existent paranoid-hallucinated symptomatology
• Foreign aggressiveness in the last six months
• Stereotactic respectively neurosurgical intervention in the past
• Contraindications of a stereotactic operation, e.g. increased bleeding-disposition, cerebrovascular diseases (e.g. arteriovenous malfunction, aneurysms, systemic vascular diseases)
• Serious and instable organic diseases (e.g. instable coronal heart disease)
• tested positively for HIV
• pregnancy and/or lactation