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Comparing LORETA Z Score Neurofeedback and Cognitive Rehabilitation Regarding Their Effectiveness in Reducing Craving
Alireza Faridi1, Farhad Taremian1, Robert W Thatcher2
1Department of Clinical Psychology and Addiction Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography Z Score Neurofeedback (LZNFB) and cognitive rehabilitation significantly reduced opioid craving compared to methadone maintenance treatment alone. LZNFB showed greater craving reduction, while cognitive rehabilitation improved attentional bias.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Conventional treatments for substance use disorders offer psychological benefits but may not fully address craving.
- The efficacy of LORETA Z Score Neurofeedback (LZNFB) and cognitive rehabilitation in reducing opioid craving remains under-investigated.
- Opioid use disorder presents significant challenges, necessitating exploration of novel therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation therapy, when combined with Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT), in reducing opioid craving.
- To evaluate the impact of these interventions on attentional bias towards craving cues and overall quality of life.
Main Methods:
- Thirty patients with opioid use disorder undergoing MMT were randomized into three groups: LZNFB + MMT, cognitive rehabilitation + MMT, and MMT alone (control).
- Experimental groups received 20 (LZNFB) or 15 (cognitive rehabilitation) sessions.
- Assessments included questionnaires and a dot-probe task at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- Both LZNFB + MMT and cognitive rehabilitation + MMT groups showed significantly greater reductions in opioid craving than the MMT alone group.
- LZNFB + MMT demonstrated a more pronounced decrease in opioid craving compared to cognitive rehabilitation + MMT.
- Cognitive rehabilitation + MMT led to greater improvement in attentional bias towards craving cues than LZNFB + MMT.
Conclusions:
- LZNFB training is more effective than cognitive rehabilitation in decreasing opioid craving and improving quality of life in patients with opioid use disorder.
- Both LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation, when adjunct to MMT, improve quality of life scores compared to MMT alone.
- Findings provide preliminary support for LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation as valuable non-medical treatments for opioid use disorder.
