What we call a "broken heart" could be remedied through electrical brain stimulation. Research shows that wearing a headset for just a few minutes a day can reduce the pain, negativity and depression that may accompany a failed relationship, writes The Guardian.

The "broken heart" treatment costs 400 pounds

The emotional pain caused by a breakup has been termed "love trauma syndrome (LTS)" by researchers. "Since negative emotions dominate after the failure of an emotional relationship and emotional dysregulation occurs, emotion regulation is considered the main goal of the treatment", explained the researchers, who also acknowledged that cognitive-behavioral therapy and other treatments used so far have not proven effective for all patients. 

In a study, 36 volunteers with love trauma syndrome wore the device, which stimulates the brain with a mild electrical current.

How was the study conducted and what are the conclusions?

The volunteers were divided into 3 groups, each wearing the direct current stimulation (tDCS) headsets for 20 minutes, twice a day, for five days. In one group, the current was directed to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In another group, the current was directed to the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). In the third, the headsets were turned off.

Both targeted regions are involved in the voluntary regulation of emotions. Previous neuroimaging studies suggest that there is a neuropsychological link between breakup and grief experiences and that specific prefrontal regions are involved, the study notes.

LTS can cause emotional distress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, obsessive thoughts and a higher risk of suicide, as well as feelings of insecurity, helplessness and guilt.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, concluded that for LTS symptoms, DLPFC stimulation was more effective than VLPFC stimulation.

"Both DLPFC and VLPFC protocols significantly reduced LTS symptoms and improved depressive and anxiety states after the intervention, compared to the sham group", concluded researchers from Zanjan University in Iran and Bielefeld University in Germany.

A month after the treatment was stopped, the volunteers still felt better. The authors of the study stated: "We did not need a period of time: these promising results need to be replicated in larger studies".

"Given the relationship between love trauma and emotion regulation, which is associated with the activation of specific brain areas and networks, treatment methods targeting the involved brain areas could be promising", the researchers were optimistic.