NCT04032587

Modification of Pavlovian and Instrumental Learning in Human Addiction

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (actual)
• Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The project aims at investigating modifications of environmental factors (i.e. cues and stress) relevant for learning mechanisms in addictive disorders.

Detailed description

Project C02 aims at investigating modifications of environmental factors (i.e. cues and stress) relevant for learning mechanisms in addictive disorders. The investigators will examine non-treatment seeking subjects with alcohol use disorder (AUD; mild vs. moderate to heavy), and healthy controls with a focus on the impact of Pavlovian conditioned stimuli (context-related cues) on instrumental behavior (so-called Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer (PIT)) and whether the PIT effect can be systematically modified by manipulating the approach/ avoidance propensities of Pavlovian cues (work package (WP) 1). Concerning stress as a major modulator of cue reactivity in addiction, the investigators further plan to assess whether acute, active stress reduction modifies such PIT effects (i.e. decreasing transfer effects) as well as goal-directed vs. habitual behavior (i.e. strengthening goal-directed decisionmaking) (WP2). Lastly, this project aims at contributing to the understanding of the underlying neurobiological correlates of manipulation of approach/ avoidance propensities of Pavlovian cues and acute stress reduction by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (WP3) with a focus on amygdala-striatal activity (PIT) and frontostriatal processes (goaldirected decision-making).

Conditions

• Healthy
• Alcohol Use Disorder (Mild vs. Moderate to Heavy)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Modified training version of the Approach / Avoidance Task (AAT, see Wiers et al., 2011)	First, a modified training version of the Approach Avoidance Task, (see Wiers et al. 2011) with arbitrary Pavlovian cues will be developed and the effectiveness of this manipulation will be assessed. In detail, positive as well as negative Pavlovian cues (derived from a Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer Task, see Garbusow et al. 2014, Garbusow et al. 2016) will be modified according to their approach/ avoidance propensities by 1) approaching negative stimuli (pulling joystick), 2) approaching positive stimuli (pulling joystick), 3) avoiding negative stimuli (pushing joystick) and 4) avoiding positive stimuli (pushing joystick). Thus, we aim at reversing the PIT effect (pushing positive cues/ pulling negative cues) or enhancing the PIT effect (pulling positive cues/ pushing negative cues).
BEHAVIORAL	Mindfulness-based interventions (e.g. body scan)	Acute stress reduction will be applied in a standardized way using audio files with an anticipated duration of 20-30 minutes.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-10-01
• Primary completion: 2023-06-30
• Completion: 2023-06-30
• First posted: 2019-07-25
• Last updated: 2024-01-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany