Reduced processing of alcohol cues predicts abstinence in recently detoxified alcoholic patients in a three-month follow up period: An ERP study

Abstract

One of the major challenges in alcohol dependence is relapse prevention, as rates of relapse following detoxification are high. Drug-related motivational processes may represent key mechanisms in alcoholic relapse. In the present study, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a visual oddball task administered to 29 controls (11 females) and 39 patients (9 females). Deviant stimuli were related or unrelated to alcohol. For patients, the task was administered following a 3-week detoxification course. Of these, 19 relapsed during the three months follow-up period. The P3, an ERP component associated with activation of arousal systems in the brain and motivational engagement, was examined with the aim to link the fluctuation of its amplitude in response to alcohol versus non-alcohol cues to the observed relapse rate. Results showed that compared to relapsers, abstainers presented with a decreased P3 amplitude for alcohol related compared to non-alcohol related pictures (p=.009). Microstate analysis and sLORETA topography showed that activation for both types of deviant cues in abstainers originated from the inferior and medial temporal gyrus and the uncus, regions implicated in detection of target stimuli in oddball tasks and of biologically relevant stimuli. Through hierarchical regression, it was found that the P3 amplitude difference between alcohol and non-alcohol related cues was the best predictor of relapse vulnerability (p=.013). Therefore, it seems that a devaluation of the motivational significance of stimuli related to alcohol, measurable through electrophysiology, could protect from a relapse within three months following detoxification in alcohol-dependent patients.

Biomarkers and neuromodulation techniques in substance use disorders

“…Similar findings were reported for animal models of alcohol addiction (Criado and Ehlers 2009;Ehlers et al 2014;Slawecki et al 2003). The P3 component is therefore considered the best predictor and biomarker for the relapse risk after alcohol withdrawal (Petit et al 2015). In addition, the P3 has been suggested as a potential marker for vulnerability to develop AUD.…”

Differential spontaneous recovery across cognitive abilities during detoxification period in alcohol-dependence

“…A high WM capacity has also been linked to a high ability of directing attention toward goal-relevant information and of ignoring distractions, i.e., attentional control [ 76 – 78 ]. Chronic alcohol abusers often exhibit excessive attentional focus on alcohol-related cues [ 79 ] that could increase the risk of relapse [ 79 – 81 ]. Effective attentional control is hence essential to overcome these attentional biases and to maintain abstinence.…”

Cue Reactivity in Nicotine and Alcohol Addiction: A Cross-Cultural View

“…What’s more, the P3 of the event-related potentials (ERPs) related to the involvement of motivational and arousal systems (Petit et al, 2015) and the Slow Positive Waves (SPWs) of the ERPs which reflect the brain’s activation of motivational systems to emotional cues (Cuthbert et al, 2000) were most suggested. It is indicated that both P3 and SPW amplitudes in response to smoking cues are significantly more enhanced in smokers than in the healthy at frontal and central sites indicating that smokers show more attention bias for smoking cues (Namkoong et al, 2004; Littel and Franken, 2007; Marianne et al, 2012).…”