Cue-induced auditory evoked potentials in alcoholism.
OBJECTIVE
Conditioning processes may convert neutral stimuli to drug-associated stimuli and create an implicit drug memory. Previous studies showed specific psychophysiological reactions to alcohol-associated stimuli differentiating alcohol-dependent subjects from healthy controls. This was shown in evoked potentials using visual and olfactory alcohol-related stimuli.


METHODS
Our study examined the effects of complex alcohol-associated sounds in comparison to complex neutral sounds on electrophysiological event-related potentials and the self-report of craving. We assessed 10 detoxified alcoholics and 10 healthy controls in a cue-reactivity paradigm.


RESULTS
Detoxified alcoholics demonstrated significantly higher alcohol stimulus-induced late P300 and late positive complexes. Subjective baseline craving and stimulus-induced craving only differed significantly between groups in terms of the craving dimension "relief of withdrawal symptoms".


CONCLUSIONS
The results show that auditory stimuli attach importance to stimulus-induced craving in alcoholics. Therapeutic consequences will be discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
The study examined for the first time the effects of alcohol-associated auditory stimuli on alcohol craving and identifies learning processes as underlying neural mechanisms which support the assumption of an implicit addiction memory in alcoholics.
Heinze
Martin
M
Klinikum Bremen-Ost, Center for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bremen, Germany.
Wölfling
Klaus
K
Grüsser
Sabine M
SM
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011601:Psychophysics