Combined Attention Bias Modification and Working Memory Training for Reducing Craving in Methamphetamine Use...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Digital Therapeutics

Background:

• Craving is a key factor in relapse for individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD).
• The affective-cognitive mechanisms underlying craving in MUD are not fully understood.
• Investigating the roles of negative affect, attentional bias, and working memory capacity (WMC) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between negative affect and craving in MUD.
• To determine if attentional bias and WMC mediate or moderate this relationship.
• To evaluate a digital intervention combining attentional bias modification (ABM) and working memory training (WMT).

Main Methods:

• Fifty individuals with MUD completed baseline assessments of negative affect, attentional bias, WMC, and craving.
• Moderated mediation analyses were used to explore the relationships between these variables.
• Forty participants were randomized to a 4-week ABM and WMT intervention or treatment as usual, with outcomes assessed via linear mixed models.

Main Results:

• Stress, a component of negative affect, was positively associated with attentional bias and craving.
• Attentional bias mediated the stress-craving link, and WMC moderated the stress-attentional bias association.
• The intervention group showed significant improvements in stress, negative affect, craving, attentional bias, and WMC compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• Findings support an affective-cognitive model of craving in MUD.
• A combined ABM and WMT digital intervention shows promise for treating MUD by targeting underlying mechanisms.
• This study provides evidence for mechanism-informed digital therapeutics in addiction treatment.