This study from Ren et al. ⁤⁤investigates the interaction between oxytocin (OXT) and nicotine addiction in modulating psychosocial stress. ⁤⁤Two experiments were conducted: one using fMRI and the other employing transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). ⁤⁤In the first experiment, healthy participants and smokers were administered either OXT or a placebo and underwent a stress-inducing task while in an MRI scanner. ⁤⁤Their results showed that in smokers OXT failed to reduce stress and craving, correlating with abnormal brain activity in the anterior right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) and its connectivity with the right middle frontal gyrus. ⁤⁤In the second experiment, anodal tDCS applied to the rSTG restored OXT’s ability to suppress stress and craving in smokers. ⁤⁤These findings demonstrate that nicotine addiction interferes with OXT’s stress-reducing effects, but this can be mitigated by targeting specific brain regions with tDCS. ⁤⁤This research could inform future treatments for nicotine addiction-related stress. ⁤

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[Source: Nature, August 30th 2024.]