Scientists have come up with a new method that uses a $1 million helmet-like device that beams high-frequency waves at the nucleus accumbens region of the brain – which is responsible for reward, motivation and addiction.

In a test, experts at West Virginia University's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) sent the waves into the brain of 39-year-old addict John Hilton.

His brain was zapped for around half an hour while he observed images of heroin at the same time.

Hilton said that his need for drugs "just wasn't there" once the experiment was complete.

The boffins hope that it can be a solution to substance abuse issues that cause more than 100,000 deaths annually.

RNI neurosurgeon Dr. Ali Rezai told the Wall Street Journal newspaper: "There's a lot of traffic going on between the addiction centre of the brain and the rest of the brain. Over time, that traffic is gone.

"The addiction centre isn't in charge anymore."