Emotional Attention Bias Modification and Targeted Memory Reactivation in Alcohol Use Disorder

NCT ID: NCT06457113

Last Updated: 2024-06-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 74 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2025-06-30

Brief Summary

Through this protocol, researchers examine whether Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), a technique used to enhance memory, can augment the control of craving levels in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder by enhancing positive emotional attention bias modification.

Detailed Description

This protocol uses TMR during REM sleep to strengthen associative memories generated by emotional attention bias modification (EABM), an effective treatment for controlling craving levels in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). EABM involves exposure to negative emotional words (e.g., frustrated, inferior) associated with alcohol-related cues and positive emotional words (e.g., successful, confident) associated with healthy lifestyle cues. The goal is to reduce alcohol-related cue positive emotional attention bias (EABs). In EABM training, alcohol-related cues and healthy activity (e.g., exercising, reading, playing musical instruments) images are always paired with negative words and positive words, respectively. The TMR group receives the EABM protocol with auditory cue feedback (sound S1-Alcohol; sound S2-Healthy Life); the control group receives the EABM protocol without auditory cue feedback. All patients will perform EABM every evening and will be exposed to sounds S1 and S2 during REM sleep with a wireless headband, which automatically detects sleep stages. Clinical evaluation of the EAB and craving levels of AUD will be conducted before and after (with a 2-week follow-up). The investigators hypothesize that patients treated with EABM and who are exposed during REM sleep to a sound that had previously been associated with the new negative memory of alcohol and the positive memory of a healthy lifestyle (TMR group) will have more reduced EAB and craving levels compared to participants exposed to the same, but non-associated, sound during REM sleep (control group).

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

TMR group

Patients will receive a sound S1 and sound S2 while they generate a correct outcome of Emotional Attention Bias Modification(EABM). They will also receive the sound S1 and sound S2 during REM sleep.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Emotional Attention Bias Modification and Targeted memory reactivation during REM sleep

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Emerging evidence shows that REM sleep is crucial for processing emotional memories and consolidating implicit memories. By using targeted memory reactivation (TMR), a known method where sound S1 and sound S2 are associated with a waking experience(i.e.negative emotional words is associated with alcohol-related cues and positive emotional words is associated with healthy lifestyle cues) and strengthened during REM sleep, the investigators aim to augment the control of craving levels in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder.

Control group

Patients will not receive the sound S1 and sound S2 while they generate a correct outcome of Emotional Attention Bias Modification(EABM). During REM sleep, they will receive the same sound as the experimental group (S1 and S2) under the same conditions.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Emotional Attention Bias Modification

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

These patients will receive the treatment of emotional attention bias modification (EABM) without association with the sound S1 and sound S2.

Interventions

Emotional Attention Bias Modification and Targeted memory reactivation during REM sleep

Emerging evidence shows that REM sleep is crucial for processing emotional memories and consolidating implicit memories. By using targeted memory reactivation (TMR), a known method where sound S1 and sound S2 are associated with a waking experience(i.e.negative emotional words is associated with alcohol-related cues and positive emotional words is associated with healthy lifestyle cues) and strengthened during REM sleep, the investigators aim to augment the control of craving levels in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Emotional Attention Bias Modification

These patients will receive the treatment of emotional attention bias modification (EABM) without association with the sound S1 and sound S2.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 18-55 years; Meets the diagnostic criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013); Alcohol withdrawal period of less than 6 months; Normal vision and hearing, or corrected to normal; Agrees to participate in the study and is able to cooperate to complete the experiment.

Exclusion Criteria

• Acute alcohol withdrawal period: Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale (CIWA-Ar) score ≥ 9; History of organic brain diseases or brain trauma; History of seizures, other neuropsychiatric disorders, or family history of psychiatric disorders; Presence of substance abuse/addiction other than alcohol (excluding nicotine addiction).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Shanghai Mental Health Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Min Zhao

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Central Contacts

Min Zhao, PhD

Role: CONTACT

drminzhao@gmail.com

021-54252689

Other Identifiers

MZhao-018

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id