Emerging Interventions in Behavioral Addictions: A Narrative Review of Psychedelics and Neuromodulation.

Addiction treatment faces challenges with poor retention and few medications. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and neuromodulation are emerging as circuit-level interventions for behavioral addictions. This review examines how these treatments target disrupted reward, executive control, and stress regulation networks. By doing so, they may enable meaningful recovery and long-term remission in otherwise treatment-refractory cases. The review covers mechanisms of action, applications in gambling disorder, internet gaming disorder, internet use disorder, and compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and highlights current research limitations and future directions for integrating these novel therapies.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Addiction remains a persistent public health crisis, marked by poor treatment retention and limited pharmacotherapy options. Emerging treatments, such as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and neuromodulation, offer promising avenues for circuit-level interventions in behavioral addictions. This narrative review synthesizes the current landscape of psychedelic compounds and neuromodulation techniques with a focus on their mechanisms of action, applications in specific behavioral addictions, and translational potential. By targeting disrupted reward, executive control, and stress regulation networks, these interventions may facilitate meaningful recovery and long-term remission in otherwise treatment refractory cases. We highlight key findings, current research limitations, and future directions in integrating these novel therapies into the treatment of gambling disorder; internet gaming disorder/gaming disorder, predominantly online; internet use disorder; and compulsive sexual behavior disorder.