Delphi Survey on the Expert Consensus for Clinical Practice and Research & Development of Precision Neuromodulation in Substance Addiction

Precision neuromodulation therapy is a promising interventional approach that exerts targeted modulation on the functions of specific neural circuits through physical means, thereby intervening in the disease process. In the field of psychiatric and psychological disorders, neuromodulation techniques represented by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation and others have been applied in clinical practice. In the field of intervention for substance addiction, a major public health challenge, clinical research and practical exploration of neuromodulation techniques have also lasted for more than a decade. Chinese scholars are at the international forefront of research in this field and have accumulated a wealth of valuable clinical evidence and local experience. However, due to the rapid development, frequent technological updates and complex mechanisms of therapeutic efficacy in this field, there is currently a lack of dedicated clinical application guidelines or consensus on neuromodulation for substance addiction both domestically and internationally, which has restricted the standardized popularization and in-depth research of this technology to a certain extent. Based on the current clinical practice and research & development demands, the formulation of this consensus is mainly driven by two considerations: first, the urgent clinical need to improve the precision of intervention—although neuromodulation has great potential, its therapeutic efficacy needs to be further optimized; second, against the backdrop of limited evidence-based evidence, it is an urgent necessity to form guidance on the application and research & development direction of precision strategies. For this reason, experts from multiple fields jointly hold that the formulation of this consensus is imperative, which aims to consolidate the current understanding and guide the standardization and precision of clinical practice and research.