In this webinar, neurologist and neuropsychopharmacologist Dr Antonello Bonci, shares insights into the use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of addiction.
In 2013, Dr Bonci and his team published a pivotal study in Nature that provided the first scientific rationale for using rTMS in patients with cocaine use disorder. Since then, his work has paved the way for CE-certified TMS treatments for psychoactive substance use disorders (PSUD) caused by drugs with stimulatory effect on brain function.
Overview
- The history and evolution of TMS
- Why and how we stimulate the human brain
- The mechanisms behind TMS in addiction
- Scientific evidence supporting TMS in treating substance use and major depressive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- The research that led to MagVenture’s CE mark for addiction
- How TMS is being applied in a growing range of psychiatric and neurological conditions.
This webinar has been created for Psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, addiction specialists, and healthcare professionals in the EU who are interested in non-invasive treatment options for addiction.
Dr. Antonello Bonci
Dr Antonello Bonci is a renowned Italian-American neurologist and neuropsychopharmacologist, internationally recognized for his pioneering research on the long-term effects of drug exposure on the brain. His groundbreaking 2013 Nature publication provided the first scientific rationale for using non-invasive brain stimulation—specifically repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)—to treat cocaine use disorder. This work reframed addiction as a disorder of maladaptive learning and synaptic plasticity.
Subsequent clinical studies led by Dr Bonci and collaborators demonstrated the therapeutic potential of TMS in treating various addictions. As a result, MagVenture received CE approval in 2021 for addiction treatment, marking the first regulatory certification of a neuromodulation therapy for psychoactive substance use disorders caused by stimulant drugs—substances that enhance brain activity—such as cocaine, amphetamines, or methamphetamine.
Dr Bonci is President and Founder of GIA Healthcare and Scientific Director of Brain&Care. He previously served as Scientific Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH, and held the Howard J. Weinberg Endowed Chair in Addiction Research at UCSF.