In recent years, research on the mechanisms of alcohol addiction have multiplied and treatments now combine drugs and behavioral therapies. Care that is particularly effective in combating anxiety, learning to manage emotions and modifying the learning circuit of the brain at the origin of alcohol dependence.
Get the brain used to dealing with different situations
A team of South Korean scientists from Chung-Ang University in Seoul went further: they tested a new virtual reality program supposed to improve brain reactions. The objective: to accustom the brain to apprehend different situations and to modify its functioning.
The researchers grouped together for their study 10 patients with alcohol addiction. Prior to conducting the experiment, the participants went through a week-long detox program. They were then subjected to three virtual reality programs on a 3D television screen, twice a week for five weeks.
The first program focused on relaxation. The second was aimed at triggering alcohol cravings by showing pictures of people drinking. The third session showed a film mixing characters with advanced alcoholism and others vomiting.
Decreased metabolic activity in the limbic system after treatment
The scientists then analyzed the changes in the brain’s metabolism before and after the treatment and during each of the sessions, using sensors placed on the patients. Finally, these tests were compared with those of another control group who had no alcohol problem.
“Before therapy, the alcohol-dependent group showed greater metabolic activity in the limbic system of the brain, seat of emotions and behavior. But after five weeks, this metabolic activity had sharply decreased to approach that of the control group, which proves that this virtual reality program had a beneficial effect.
Positive changes in the brains of those tested
The results of the experiment, published in The Journal of Studies on Alcohol Drugs, show that this program resulted in positive changes in the brain metabolism of those tested.
“The approach is promising, in particular because it puts patients in situations similar to real life and requires their active participation, explains Dr Doug Hyun Han. However, to validate these conclusions, other larger and longer studies are necessary, ”he concludes.
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