QEEG Individualized Protocols for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

ABSTRACT

Throughout United States history, alcohol use disorder (AUD) continues to be a national health concern. Within the last few years, pandemic stressors may also increase the potential for relapse in individuals struggling with AUD (Da et al., 2020). Medical professionals are imploring helping professionals to stay aware of this rising concern and to enhance AUD treatment options. Whereas treatments such as psychotherapy and pharmacology can be efficacious for AUD, there are also limitations to these types of interventions. AUD affects brain wave activity;while the prior mentioned treatments do not directly target brain activity, one treatment that does is neuron feed back. Neurofeed back is well documented for helping individuals with AUD, and other addiction concerns, to reach an enhanced state of regulation (Sokhadze et al., 2008). After IRB approval and participant recruitment, my supervisor and I created qEEG individualized protocols while also considering Peniston and Kulkosky's (1989, 1990) seminal neuron feed back studies that recommend certain brain wave parameters for AUD protocols. In addition, we also referred to the Scott-Kaiser modification (Scott & Kaiser, 1998) of the Peniston Protocol. The Peniston Protocol uses alpha/theta training and seeks to reduce states of stress and anxiety, while the Scott-Kaiser modification (e.g., SMR-beta modulation) aims to reduce impulsivity tendencies by remedying cognitive issues (Dousset et al., 2020). Participants were asked to complete pre and post qEEG and heart rate variability (HRV) measures along with self-report assessments of pre, post, and follow-up measures of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT;Saunders et al., 1993), and repeated measures of a craving desire assessment after every neuron feed back session. Also, participants were asked to attend twice-weekly neuron feedback sessions for 6 weeks or at least twelve 10- to 25-minute sessions. University student clinicians and neuron feedback clinicians administered the neuron feedback sessions. Due to the pandemic and subsequent limiting factors (i.e., COVID concerns or lack of money for transportation), participants were allowed remote neuron feedback. Only one participant asked to utilize remote services. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if qEEG individualized neuron feedback protocols helped participants regulate their brain activity and reduce AUD cravings. Secondary purposes included comparing physiological data to self-report data and exploring neuron feedback session-to-session changes with a single-subject approach. This poster presentation will include pre and post qEEG z-score comparisons from NeuroGuide and pre and post HRV comparisons from BioTrace. Further, I will explore individual changes over time according to participants' neuron feedback protocols using single-case research design methods and participants' individual craving desire changes. The presentation will also entail implications for future research..