# Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Treating Addiction

> **NIH NIH R44** · HIGHLAND INSTRUMENTS, INC. · 2022 · $750,000

## Abstract

Proprietary: This proposal includes trade secrets and other proprietary or confidential information of Highland Instruments and is being provided for use by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the sole purpose of evaluating this SBIR proposal. No other rights are conferred. This proposal and
 the trade secrets and other proprietary or confidential information contained herein shal further not be disclosed in whole or in parts, outside of NIH without Highland Instrument's permission. This restriction does not limit the NIH's right to use information contained in the data if it is obtained from
 another source without restriction. This legend applies to the Abstract, Specific Aims, Research Plan (al components), Commercialization Plan, and Human Subject's Sections of this proposal.
Abstract. The USA is undergoing a national crisis of opioid addiction. While opioid therapy is a mainstay
approach for the treatment of moderate to severe pain; in the chronic pain (CP) population, 21-29% misuse
prescribed opiates, 8-12% develop an opioid related disorder, and 4- 6% transition to heroin [1-3]. Addicts
exhibit aberrant brain network states, which may be modified through appropriate therapies to reduce addictive
behavior [1, 2]. Recent studies have demonstrated that noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may be effective
in treating some forms of addiction [3-10]. However, the most common NIBS methods, e.g., Transcranial
Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), have not been found to be
effective in treating opioid use disorder (OUD) ([3, 4]). It has been postulated that limitations in these
techniques’ focality, penetration, and targeting control limit their therapeutic efficacy [11-15]. Electrosonic
Stimulation (ESStim™) is an improved NIBS modality that overcomes these limitations by combining
independently controlled electromagnetic and ultrasonic fields to focus and boost stimulation currents via tuned
electromechanical coupling in neural tissue [16, 17]. This proposal is focused on evaluating whether our
noninvasive ESStim system can effectively reduce OUD in patients prescribed opioids secondary to CP. First
in Phase I, to assess the feasibility of the proposed work, we will follow 26 OUD patients after giving a fixed
dose of ESStim for 5 consecutive days, 20 min/day (13 Active, 13 SHAM). We will administer a battery of
clinical/safety, drug-use, electrophysiology, behavioral, and psychosocial assessments in the OUD patients,
evaluated over the treatment period and for at least four weeks following the last treatment session. Next in the
Phase II, we will follow 60 OUD patients (30 Active, 30 SHAM) after giving a fixed dose of stimulation for 10
days, 20 min/day. We will evaluate these patients with the same battery of assessments validated in Phase I,
but now assessments will be made at least twelve weeks following the last treatment session. In parallel with
the OUD treatments, we will build MRI derived ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10650582
- **Project number:** 4R44DA049685-02
- **Recipient organization:** HIGHLAND INSTRUMENTS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Dipietro
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $750,000
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10650582

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10650582, Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Treating Addiction (4R44DA049685-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10650582. Licensed CC0.

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