title: Effects of cognitive bias modification training on neural signatures of alcohol approach tendencies in male alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: Alcohol-dependent patients have been shown to faster approach than avoid alcohol stimuli on the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT). This so-called alcohol approach bias has been associated with increased brain activation in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has been used to retrain the approach bias with the clinically relevant effect of decreasing relapse rates one year later. The effects of CBM on neural signatures of approach/avoidance tendencies remain hitherto unknown. In a double-blind placebo-controlled design, 26 alcohol-dependent in-patients were assigned to a CBM or a placebo training group. Both groups performed the AAT for three weeks: in CBM training, patients pushed away 90 percent of alcohol cues; this rate was 50 percent in placebo training. Before and after training, patients performed the AAT offline, and in a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The relevant neuroimaging contrast for the alcohol approach bias was the difference between approaching versus avoiding alcohol cues relative to soft drink cues: [(alcohol pull > alcohol push)  > (soft drink pull > soft drink push)]. Before training, both groups showed significant alcohol approach bias-related activation in the medial prefrontal cortex. After training, patients in the CBM group showed stronger reductions in medial prefrontal cortex activation compared with the placebo group. Moreover, these reductions correlated with reductions in approach bias scores in the CBM group only. This suggests that CBM affects neural mechanisms involved in the automatic alcohol approach bias, which may be important for the clinical effectiveness of CBM.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors: Corinde E
authors: CE
authors: Wiers
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors: Vera U
authors: VU
authors: Ludwig
authors: University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors: Thomas E
authors: TE
authors: Gladwin
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Germany.
authors: Soyoung Q
authors: SQ
authors: Park
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Heinz
authors: University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors: Reinout W
authors: RW
authors: Wiers
authors: Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Rinck
authors: Salus Klinik, Germany.|Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Lindenmeyer
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Walter
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
authors: Felix
authors: F
authors: Bermpohl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003463:Cues; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Addiction; alcohol dependence; approach bias; cognitive bias modification training; medial prefrontal cortex