Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Change Implicit Associations Against Alcohol in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Preregistered Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT: Addictive behaviour is shaped by the dynamic interaction of implicit, bottom-up and explicit, top-down cognitive processes. In alcohol use disorder (AUD), implicit alcohol-related associations have been shown to predict increased subsequent alcohol consumption and are linked to the risk of relapse. Explicit cognitive processes, exerting prefrontal top-down control, are particularly significant during the critical period following the decision to abstain. This study aims to map implicit and explicit cognitive processes in recently abstinent individuals with AUD and to explore the effect of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on implicit associations by modulating top-down control. In this preregistered, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial, 30 abstinent individua

SUBMITTER: Schwippel T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11899756 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature