EEG/Event-related Brain Potential Risk Markers as Predictors and Outcomes of SUD Treatment in Adolescents
Condition: Alcohol Use Disorder
MeSH terms: Alcoholism
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 3

Summary: 
      This study investigates the effect of a computerized approach/avoidance retraining (aka
      cognitive bias modification) over and above treatment as usual for patients in treatment for
      substance use disorders. The computerized training entails viewing pictures of drug and
      non-drug related stimuli, and then using the computer to make the drug pictures smaller and
      the non-drug pictures larger. Participants will also take part in an EEG/event-related brain
      potential assessment at the beginning and end of treatment to identify brain measures that
      are associated with treatment response.
    

Detailed description: 
      Methodology Participants must be receiving treatment for substance use disorders in the
      adolescent program of the University of Michigan Addiction Treatment Services (UMATS) clinic.
      Participants must be between the ages of 14-65.

      The study entails five components

        1. Neurophysiological assessment. (Baseline)

        2. Assessment of substance use and psychiatric disorders. (Baseline)

        3. Bias retraining treatment protocol. (after baseline, 6 training sessions over a two week
           period)

        4. Second neurophysiological assessment at the end of treatment. (6 weeks after baseline)

        5. Six-month follow-up to assess substance use and psychiatric disorders. (6 months after
           baseline)

      Each component is described in more detail below:

        1. Assessment of substance use and psychiatric disorders will be completed using
           well-validated structured interviews and questionnaires. This assessment will take place
           as soon as participants can be scheduled following their entry into treatment at the
           UMATS clinic.

        2. Neurophysiological assessment will entail several procedures that reliably elicit brain
           responses that are associated with substance use disorders and antisocial behavior. The
           first neurophysiological assessment will take place as soon as participants can be
           scheduled following their entry into treatment at the UMATS clinic.

      The different tasks are described below. Participants will be asked to perform tasks that
      involve responding to letters and pictures on a computer monitor while physiological
      responses will be recorded continuously during the experiment. This will be achieved by the
      use of sensors positioned on the head, forearms, palms, and face. These sensors are filled
      with a nonirritating paste and attached to the skin using medical tape.

      The tasks are as follows:

        1. Picture Viewing and Emotion Regulation Task-Duration: approximately 40 minutes The
           subject will be presented with a number of different pictures from the International
           Affective Picture System (IAPS) including traditional unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant
           images as well as images of drugs and drug-related paraphernalia. Pictures are presented
           following an instruction cue asking the person to enhance (upregulate) or diminish
           (downregulate) their affective responses.

        2. Go/No go task - Duration: 10 minutes During this procedure, participants will respond to
           two different letters by selecting one of two buttons that are associated with each
           letter. They will be asked to inhibit their response if the letter they are viewing is
           the same as the letter just viewed. It is intended to measure cognitive control.
           Drug-related pictures will also be included as distractors to examine their effects on
           performance and EEG/event-related potential (ERP) measures.

        3. Gambling/feedback task-Duration: 10 minutes During this procedure, participants will see
           2 squares, side-by-side on the monitor in front of them. Each square will have a money
           amount displayed inside of it. Sometimes the squares show 5 cents, and sometimes they
           show 25 cents. The task is simply to choose one of the squares on each trial, either the
           one on the left or the one on the right. After a delay of about one second, the
           participant will be told if he or she won or lost the amount of money inside the square
           he or she chose. If the selected square turns GREEN that means the participant won the
           amount of money shown inside the square. If the chosen square turns RED that means the
           participant lost the amount of money shown inside the square. At the same time, the
           unselected will also turn either green or red, to inform the participant how much he or
           she would have won or lost if the other square had been selected.

      3) Bias retraining treatment protocol. In addition to treatment as usual at the UMATS clinic,
      participants will be randomized into either bias retraining or sham training conditions. At a
      pre-test session, participants will complete an approach-avoidance task (AAT) to measure
      initial bias to drug-related stimuli. The AAT are each completed on a laptop computer.

      The AAT includes 20 pictures of drug-related stimuli and 20 pictures of non-drug related
      stimuli. Pictures are presented equally in landscape and portrait format. After the pictures
      appear on a monitor, participants will be instructed to use a joystick to either enlarge
      (pull the joystick closer) or shrink (push the joystick away) the pictures. In this task, the
      required response is unrelated to the content of the pictures. Specifically, participants are
      instructed to pull the joystick to approach pictures in portrait format or push pictures in
      landscape format. The difference between the median response time for drug versus non-drug
      related pictures is used as a measure of bias. The AAT takes 5 minutes to complete.

      The bias retraining protocol will then utilize the AAT. Participants will again be instructed
      to push or pull the joystick dependent upon whether the picture is in portrait or landscape
      formant. For participants in the experimental condition, all drug-related pictures will be in
      landscape format, that is, all participants in the experimental condition will push the
      joystick to shrink the drug-related pictures. For participants in the control condition,
      drug-related pictures will be presented equally in portrait and landscape format. During
      training, participants have to correct all errors. Training sessions will entail 200 trials
      with a short break at the halfway point. Each session takes about 15 minutes to complete.

      The pre-test assessment of bias (AAT) will take place as soon as participants can be
      scheduled following their entry into treatment at the UMATS clinic. The bias retraining
      protocol will begin the day following the pre-test assessment of bias. Participants will then
      take part in 6 training sessions (each requires approximately 15 minutes to complete) over a
      two week period.

      Prior to and following each administration of the AAT, participants will complete a rating of
      their current feelings of craving to use drugs on a 6-point scale ranging from I don't want
      to use drugs at all to I would love to use drugs right now. If the participant endorses a 4
      or higher on the scale following presentation of the AAT, they will be queried by research
      staff who will be trained in basic cognitive behavioral techniques to assist the participant
      in reducing any feelings of craving. As participants are actively engaged in treatment for
      substance use problems (i.e., consistently thinking and talking about drug use), it is
      unlikely that words or pictures of drug-related stimuli will elicit sufficient craving to
      trigger a relapse. Also, all participants will either be in the presence of or near a parent
      and/or regular treatment provider, further minimizing the risk that any procedures would
      elicit a relapse.

      Participants will also complete a brief symptom inventory at their bias retraining sessions
      so that we can track their progress over the course of treatment. The participant's primary
      therapist will also be asked to make brief ratings regarding the participant's engagement and
      progress at the end of active treatment. Finally, to provide an objective measure of
      treatment adherence, participants will be drug tested. Drug testing is conducted randomly as
      part of UMATS treatment, and we will request access to the results of those tests.

      4) A second neurophysiological assessment will take place 6 weeks following the baseline
      assessment, at which point participants will have transitioned out of active treatment (e.g.,
      intensive outpatient). Participants will repeat the same protocol as the first
      neurophysiological assessment in order to detect any changes in brain responses as a
      consequence of treatment condition. Participants will also complete the AAT and a brief
      inventory of symptoms.

      5) Six months after entry into treatment at UMATS, participants will be asked to complete
      questionnaires regarding their substance use and psychiatric symptoms as well as the AAT.

      Statistical Design We predict that symptom measures and EEG/ERP measures assessed at baseline
      will be associated with treatment response as measured by scores on the brief symptom
      inventory administered at training sessions, results of drug testing, and therapist ratings.
      Multilevel models will be used to estimate the associations between baseline measures
      (modeled as fixed effects) and the repeated measures of the outcome variables (repeated
      measures nested within individuals). To examine the effects of treatment condition (bias
      retraining versus sham training), a group-based multilevel model (similar to repeated
      measures ANOVA) will be used to test for any group differences on the EEG/ERP measures
      assessed at baseline and the follow-up neurophysiological assessment. Similar group-based
      multilevel models (similar to repeated measures ANOVA) will also be used to test for group
      differences on the substance use and psychiatric symptom measures assessed at baseline and
      the 6-month follow-up, as well as the measures of treatment progress (drug tests, symptom
      measures, therapist ratings) assessed between the baseline assessment and the second
      neurophysiological assessment at the end of treatment.

      Power analysis and target N for recruitment. For the regression and multilevel modeling
      analysis of dimensional outcomes, an n = 85 will provide 80% to detect the anticipated effect
      (r = .30, α = .05). For the group-based multilevel models, groups of 41 will provide 80% to
      detect the anticipated effect. Therefore, our goal is to recruit enough participants such
      that each group (experimental and control) will include at least 40 participants with a
      baseline and follow-up neurophysiological assessment. We anticipate a 15% attrition rate.
      Therefore, we plan to recruit 94 participants.
    

Intervention name(s): Bias retraining; Sham retraining
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants will view pictures of drug (e.g., alcohol) and non-drug stimuli (e.g., soft drinks) on a computer. Participants will then use the computer to make the drug pictures smaller and the non-drug pictures larger.; Participants will view pictures of drug and non-drug related stimuli on a computer. Participants will then use the computer to make the pictures larger or smaller based on the tilt of the picture (slightly to the left or right), but without regard to the content of the picture.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment