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A recent study has discovered that electrical brain stimulation can alleviate the distress caused by heartbreak.

Love Trauma Syndrome

The emotional turmoil following a breakup, often termed love trauma syndrome (LTS), can be intense and debilitating. Symptoms of LTS include depression, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, obsessive thoughts, and increased risk of suicide. This syndrome can leave individuals feeling insecure, helpless, and guilty.

Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation

A promising method to address these symptoms is transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). This technique involves a headset that delivers a mild electrical current to specific regions of the brain. In the study, 36 volunteers experiencing LTS used the headset, costing approximately $500, for 20 minutes twice daily over five days.

Study Design

The volunteers were divided into three groups. One group had the stimulation directed at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), another group targeted the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and the third group used the headset with no active current (sham group). Both DLPFC and VLPFC are areas of the brain associated with emotion regulation.

Study Results

The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, showed that stimulation of both the DLPFC and VLPFC significantly reduced LTS symptoms and improved depressive states and anxiety. However, stimulation of the DLPFC was more effective than the VLPFC. Even a month after the treatment ended, participants reported sustained improvement.

Implications and Future Research

Researchers from the University of Zanjan in Iran and Bielefeld University in Germany emphasized the potential of these findings. They noted the need for larger trials to replicate these promising results. The NHS is reportedly conducting pilot studies using similar headsets to treat mild depression, highlighting the growing interest in tDCS for emotional regulation.