Feasibility and acceptability of approach bias modification during methamphetamine withdrawal and related methamphetamine use outcomes.

Approach bias modification (ApBM), a computerised cognitive training task which aims to reduce automatic, impulsive responding to drug-related cues, has been found to reduce alcohol consumption among individuals seeking treatment for their drinking. However, this approach has not been trialled in patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), where altered impulsivity and reward processing are well-established. As such, this study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of four consecutive days of ApBM training during a residential admission for methamphetamine withdrawal.

Combining approach bias modification with working memory training during inpatient alcohol withdrawal: an open-label pilot trial of feasibility and acceptability.

Background: According to contemporary neurocognitive models, addiction is maintained by the biasing of information-processing and decision-making systems towards relatively automatic, impulsive, reward-seeking responses to drug-related stimuli, and away from more controlled, deliberative, "reflective" states of processing that could result in decisions to delay or avoid drug use. Cognitive training programs aimed at either countering "impulsive" processing or enhancing "reflective" processing alone have shown promise. However, there has been no attempt to simultaneously target both aspects of processing with a combined training program.