Fundamentals of Mental Health

Fundamentals of Mental Health

Comparison of the synergistic effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and transcranial direct current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on clinical symptoms and neuropsychological functions in methamphetamine users

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mahdi Helmzadeh 1
Morteza Modares Gharavi 2
Mahdi Ghasemi Motlagh 3
1 Ph.D. student in psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Bojnord Branch, Bojnord, Iran.
2 Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
3 Assistant professor of psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Bojnord Branch, Bojnord, Iran.
10.22038/JFMH.2025.86811.3229
Abstract
Introduction: Methamphetamine (crystal meth) is a highly addictive stimulant substance with destructive effects on the human mind and body. The aim of this research was to investigate the synergistic effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of the DorsoLateral PreFrontal Cortex (DLPFC) on clinical symptoms and neuropsychological functions in methamphetamine users.
 
Materials and Methods: The statistical population included all patients with clinical symptoms of crystal meth use disorder who were referred to addiction treatment centers in Mashhad, Iran, from 2022 to 2024. Forty patients were selected using the convenience sampling and randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups (CBT, tDCS, CBT + tDCS) and 1 control group (10 participants each). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA.
 
Results: The findings showed that the interventions were effective therapies, especially CBT and CBT + tDCS had significant effects (P< 0.05) on reducing clinical symptoms and improving neuropsychological functions in methamphetamine users.
 
Conclusion: The results indicated that all interventions reduced clinical symptoms and led to an improvement in neuropsychological functions, especially in the groups of cognitive-behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy plus tDCS.
Keywords
Clinical symptoms
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Methamphetamine abuse
Neuropsychological functions
Transcranial direct current stimulation
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Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 27, Issue 3
May and June 2025
Pages 199-206