Effectiveness of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism: Electrophysiological Findings

Alcohol use disorder research in India: An update

Background

Despite alcohol use being a risk factor for numerous health-related conditions and alcohol use disorder (AUD) recognized as a disease, there was limited research in India until 2010. This narrative review aims to evaluate AUD-related research in India from 2010 to July 2023.

Methods

A PubMed search used key terms for AUD in India after 2010. Indian and international journals with regional significance that publish alcohol-related research were searched by each author individually. These were then collated, and duplicates were removed. In addition, we also conducted a gray literature search on focused areas related to AUD.

Results

The alcohol-related research in India after 2010 focused on diverse areas associated with alcohol use. Some areas of research have received more attention than others. Two major epidemiological surveys conducted in the past decade reveal that around 5% have a problematic alcohol use pattern. Factors associated with alcohol use, like genetic, neurobiological, psychological, and sociocultural, were studied. The studies focused on the clinical profile of AUD, including their correlates, such as craving, withdrawal, alcohol-related harm, and comorbid psychiatric and medical illnesses. During this period, minimal research was conducted to understand AUD's laboratory biomarkers, course, and prognosis. While there was a focus on generating evidence for different psychological interventions for alcohol dependence in management-related research, pharmacological studies centered on anticraving agents like baclofen. Research on noninvasive brain stimulation, such as rTMS, has shown preliminary usefulness in treating alcohol dependence. Very little research has been conducted regarding alcohol policy.

Conclusion

In the past decade, Indian research on alcohol has focused on diverse areas. Epidemiological and psychological management-related research received maximum attention. Considering the magnitude of the alcohol-related burden, it is essential to prioritize research to other less studied areas like pharmacological management of alcohol dependence and alcohol policy.

Development and standardization of Indian Alcohol Photo Stimuli (IAPS) for cue-reactivity paradigms in patients with alcohol use disorder

Background

The availability of appropriate alcohol-related stimuli is a crucial concern for the evaluation and treatment of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. The study aimed to standardize alcohol-related images with cultural relevance to the Indian setting.

Methods

We produced an extensive database of 203 pictures, the Indian Alcohol Photo Stimuli (IAPS), portraying different categories and types of alcoholic beverages, after removing the confounding effects of low-level stimulus parameters (e.g. brightness and blurriness). Thirty patients with alcohol dependence syndrome, currently abstinent, rated each image on visual analog scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no craving) to 10 (extreme), to determine how typical the stimuli served as craving-relevant stimuli.

Results

The mean VAS scores across beverages (ordered from highest to lowest) were whiskey >rum >beer >wine >vodka. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference in mean VAS scores across beverages (F = 2.93, df = 2.9/86.3, P = 0.039, Greenhouse-Geisser corrected); the effect size for the difference was small (ηp2 = 0.092). A post hoc Bonferroni shows significantly higher VAS scores with whiskey compared with vodka (P = 0.029), whereas the scores were similar across other beverages. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA for interaction between type of alcoholic beverages and activity was not significant (F = 2.67, df = 2.6/76.6, P = 0.061, Greenhouse-Geisser corrected).

Conclusions

We created a standardized alcohol-related image database for studying cue-reactivity paradigms in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Further research is needed to validate the impact of image features on cue reactivity.

Alfa band power increases in posterior brain regions in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder after digital cognitive stimulation treatment

The changes triggered by pharmacological treatments in resting-state alpha-band (8–14 Hz) oscillations have been widely studied in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, to date, there has been no evidence regarding the possible changes in cognitive stimulation treatments on these oscillations. This paper sets out to verify whether cognitive stimulation treatments based on progressive increases in cognitive load can be effective in triggering changes in alpha-band power in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. With this objective, we compared a cognitive stimulation treatment (n = 13) to placebo treatment (n = 13) for 12 weeks (36 sessions of 15 min) in child patients (8–11 years old) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Two magnetoencephalographic recordings were acquired for all the participants. In order to extract the areas with changes in alpha power between both magnetoencephalographic recordings, the differences in the power ratio (pre/post-condition) were calculated using an Analysis of Covariance test adjusted for the age variable. The results show an increase in the post-treatment power ratio in the experimental group versus the placebo group (P < 0.01) in posterior regions and the default mode network. In addition, these alpha changes were related to measures of attention, working memory and cognitive flexibility. The results seem to indicate that cognitive stimulation treatment based on progressive increases in cognitive load triggers alpha-band power changes in child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients in the direction of their peers without this disorder.