Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Reduce Addiction-Related Behaviors in Mice

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation method used in humans to increase or decrease cortical excitability in a noninvasive and painless manner. A weak electric current flows between two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, placed on the scalp. This technique has gained considerable interest recently as a tool for the treatment of several psychiatric disorders, including depression and addiction. However, the mechanisms underlying its beneficial effects remain poorly understood, requiring further investigations in human as well as animal models. In Besançon (Laboratoire de Recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et Psychologie Cognitive, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté), we have developed a mouse model of tDCS to study its mechanisms of action, using a stimulation protocol similar to those in clinical trials. In this chapter, we will describe this model and its different variants (i.e., tDCS on awake restrained mice; tDCS on anesthetized mice; tDCS in freely moving mice).