Effects of computerized inhibition training on inhibitory control in patients attending residential treatments for severe alcohol use disorders: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial

Objectives: Alcohol use disorders (AUD) represent one of the most frequent and significant psychiatric disorders in developed countries. Patients suffering from AUD show enhanced cue reactivity towards alcohol associated stimuli and deficits in inhibition to control alcohol use behavior. Recent evidence has shown that computerized training interventions may be able to alter some of these maladaptive processes and eventually reduce drinking behavior in heavy drinkers. However, this has not yet been examined in clinical populations in sufficient detail to implement it as an additional intervention in standard treatment. Methods: In an ongoing randomized control trial in two Swiss clinics specialized in the treatment of AUD, patients attending inpatient treatment complete six sessions of a computerized alcohol-specific inhibition training. This inhibition training aims to increase inhibitory control (experimental group), while the control version consists of an unspecific training (one control group). At pre- and post-training, a Go-NoGo task measures inhibitory control. Rate of commission errors (failure to inhibit the response to NoGo targets, i.e. “false alarms”) will be compared between the two groups and the two time points with a 2x2 AN(C)OVA with repeated measures. Because slower reaction times might indicate prospective inhibition, an additional analysis including reaction times for Go stimuli as a covariate will be performed. Results/Conclusion: Preliminary results of a sample size of approximately 60 will be presented and discussed. Compared to the control condition, we expect inhibition training to have a significant positive effect on inhibitory control, reflected by fewer commission errors. The results may contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of action at work during inhibition training and elucidate its potential as a therapeutic add-on