Day 2 Session:
Symposium II - Neuromodulation to Treat Addictions: What’s Available and What’s in the Pipeline
Scheduled for Friday, November 13, 2026, 9:00 AM - 10:40 AM
Chairpersons: Manish Jha, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and O’Donnell Clinical Neuroscience Scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and Kathleen Brady, MD, Distinguished University Professor, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
Presenters: Manish Jha, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and O’Donnell Clinical Neuroscience Scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Hamed Ekhtiari, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Gregory Sahlem, MD; and Brian Mickey, MD, PhD, Professor, University of Utah
There is an urgent need to develop new treatments for alcohol and substance use disorders given the lack of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for several of these disorders (including cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine use disorders) and limited treatment options for others (such as opioid use disorder). Building up on advances in fundamental neuroscience research, neuromodulation approaches of targeting brain function directly have emerged as potential new treatments for substance use disorders. This symposium will bring together practicing clinicians who are developing a range of neuromodulation treatments, including those using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and low intensity focused ultrasound. With several neuromodulation treatments now approved by the FDA for other psychiatric indications (such as accelerated protocols using rTMS, transcranial direct current stimulation), repurposing these for treating addictions may translate into rapid dissemination. Brain-based approaches for monitoring treatment response and personalizing the neuromodulation serve as important next steps and will be discussed in this session.