Clinical Research Activities
Does attentional bias toward alcohol
related stimuli predict relapse in alcohol
dependent patients?
One explanation for why some patients relapse to alcohol use after treatment focuses on how the brain processes alcohol related information. More specifically, some alcohol dependent individuals may show an excessive preoccupation with alcohol and drinking and may find it difficult to stop thinking about these stimuli. Using a cognitive task that measures reaction time, this study measures the extent to which alcohol dependent patients are distracted by drinking related information shortly after admission to residential treatment, and whether this distractibility predicts relapse in the year following treatment.
