Neuromodulation and mindfulness as therapeutic treatment in detoxified patients with AUD (C02)

• Subject Area: Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience ; Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 402170461

In the 1st FP, we found that an ultra-brief mindfulness meditation decreased the impact of conditioned cues on instrumental behavior in a sample of participants with AUD. In line with the notion that mindfulness-based interventions exert their effect by increasing behavioral control, we found that mindfulness increased prefrontal functional connectivity being linked to behavioral control. Additionally, (transcutaneous) vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) improves behavioral control by modulating medial prefrontal brain regions, and thus may be used as treatment for AUD. In the 2nd FP, we aim to investigate the effect of tVNS as an adjunct treatment to a mindfulness-based relapse prevention in detoxified patients with AUD.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 265: Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake: From Trajectories to Mechanisms to Interventions
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Dr. Anne Beck; Professorin Dr. Nina Romanczuk-Seiferth; Professor Dr. Surjo R. Soekadar, since 7/2023