Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Nov 2006
Clinical TrialTime course of attention for alcohol cues in abstinent alcoholic patients: the role of initial orienting.
Addicted people are characterized by enhanced attention for drug cues leading to drug use. However, there is little research on the component processes of attention in individuals with alcoholism. Here, we examine 2 distinct components of attention in abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals and social drinkers of alcohol, that is to say, the initial orienting to alcohol-related cues, and the maintenance of attention to them. ⋯ These results show that, subsequent to initial visual orienting to alcohol-related cues, abstinent patients' attention was disengaged from these stimuli, thus suggesting a visual approach-disengagement attentional pattern. The influence of these findings on relapse was discussed.