About us
Our Research
Many heavy drinkers recognise that they drink too much, and they would like to change. They often feel, however, that they have lost control over their alcohol consumption. One reason for this is that they subconsciously turn their attention towards alcohol and seek it out.
A major focus of the Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, therefore, is to develop computerized training programmes to help heavy drinkers gain better cognitive control over alcohol. The training is designed to enable drinkers to (a) decrease the value and salience of alcohol, and (b) increase the value and salience of other incentives that could potentially replace the alcohol. A variety of alcohol-specific measures are taken before and after the training to assess its effectiveness. Additionally, in order to identify changes in brain activation in response to alcohol and other stimuli resulting from the training, participants undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after the training.
In addition to computerized cognitive control training, the Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster currently plans to pursue three additional topics:
First, we plan to evaluate mindfulness meditation for helping heavy drinkers counter their automatic reactions to alcohol, which make them vulnerable to relapse.
Second, we plan to develop cognitive-motivational interventions specifically for offenders who abuse alcohol. The techniques will include both cognitive-control and goal-setting components.
Third, we plan to investigate the psychophysiological mechanisms involved in the use of exercise in the treatment of alcohol abuse.
The Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster aims to pursue these interests through multi-site research with a multidisciplinary team that includes experimental and clinical psychologists, cognitive scientists, a biological psychiatrist, a clinical-trials specialist, and clinicians specializing in the treatment of alcohol abuse.
Policy Directions and Expected Impacts
There are a number of ways in which research conducted by the Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster is expected to have an impact on policy and clinical practice. The Cluster aims to develop new interventions for alcohol abuse that can be used in combination with existing treatments to help alcohol abusers reduce alcohol consumption in the long-term.
The new training techniques will be potentially applicable at any point along the continuum of alcohol-associated harm; thus, they will have utility as both preventative and remedial measures. Within therapeutic contexts, the techniques will have scope for delivery at varying levels of intensity. The approach, therefore, is consistent with the current focus on stepped care.
Because of their versatility and the fact that the techniques will most likely be highly cost-effective, they will provide the opportunity for effective treatment for a greater number of people suffering from alcohol abuse. Once the training has been developed and evaluated, the Cluster aims to make it available over the Internet. This will mean that heavy drinkers will have the opportunity to utilize the training in their own homes or in appropriate NHS settings.