Improving Generalizability of Extinction to Alcohol Cues

MacKillop, James

Abstract

This project has the ultimate goal of improving behavioral treatment for alcohol dependence. Experimental animal and human research demonstrating the prominent influence of associative conditioning in drinking behavior has given rise to cue exposure treatment (CET) for alcohol dependence. This treatment component exposes individuals with alcohol dependence to cues associated with drinking for prolonged periods to extinguish conditioned responding. In turn, CET attempts to facilitate transition beyond treatment by reducing cue reactivity to previous associations and enhancing both coping skills and self-efficacy. Despite generally promising outcomes, CET has been criticized for failing to incorporate contemporary learning research that suggests various factors that may compromise extinction, namely context-dependent leaming. Equally, recent animal learning research has demonstrated approaches to reduce context-dependent learning, such as the use of an extinction reminder or multiple context extinction. This study attempts to extend this latter finding to a human population and evaluate whether multiple context exposure will enhance extinction to alcohol cues, toward ultimately enhancing CET for alcohol dependence.