A small, early-stage study looked at two different approaches for opioid addiction. Researchers worked with 36 men who were receiving methadone treatment and 24 healthy men for comparison. They tested whether a computer program could accurately identify addiction using brainwave (EEG) data, and whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS could help reduce drug cravings.
The study found that the machine learning algorithm was 94.3% accurate at telling the difference between the patients and the healthy men. The men who received real brain stimulation also reported significant reductions in their cravings compared to those who received a sham (fake) treatment. The study did not report any safety issues, but it also did not provide details on side effects.
It is very important to be cautious about these results. The study was very small and only included men, so we don't know if the findings apply to women or larger groups. The full details of the study, including exact effect sizes and statistical methods, were not available in the summary. Readers should understand this as a preliminary look at potential tools, not as proof that these methods work or are ready for use.