Executive functioning in alcoholics following an mHealth cognitive stimulation program: randomized controlled trial

The consequences of alcohol dependence are severe and may range from physical disease to neuropsychological deficits in several cognitive domains. Alcohol abuse has also been related to brain dysfunction specifically in the prefrontal cortex. Conventional neuropsychological interventions (paper-and-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical Internet research 2014-04, Vol.16 (4), p.e102
Main Authors: Gamito, Pedro, Oliveira, Jorge, Lopes, Paulo, Brito, Rodrigo, Morais, Diogo, Silva, Diana, Silva, Ana, Rebelo, Sara, Bastos, Marta, Deus, Alberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol dependence
Alcoholics
Alcoholism
Alcoholism - psychology
Alcoholism - therapy
Brain
Care and treatment
Clinical trials
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Cognitive functioning
Cognitive stimulation
Cognitive Therapy - methods
Computer & video games
Cortex
Drug addiction
Dysfunction
Educational software
Executive Function
Executives
Feedback
Female
Flexibility
Games
Humans
Intervention
Male
Medical Research
Memory
Middle Aged
Mortality
Motivation
Neuropsychological assessment
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuropsychology
Original Paper
Patients
Rehabilitation
Substance abuse
Substance abuse treatment
Surveys
Symptoms
Technology
Trials
University students
Withdrawal symptoms
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Summary:The consequences of alcohol dependence are severe and may range from physical disease to neuropsychological deficits in several cognitive domains. Alcohol abuse has also been related to brain dysfunction specifically in the prefrontal cortex. Conventional neuropsychological interventions (paper-and-pencil cognitive stimulation training) have a positive effect but are time-consuming, costly, and not motivating for patients. Our goal was to test the cognitive effects of a novel approach to neuropsychological intervention, using mobile technology and serious games, on patients with alcohol dependence. The trial design consisted of a two-arm study assessing the cognitive outcomes of neuropsychological intervention with mobile serious games (mHealth) versus control (treatment-as-usual with no neuropsychological intervention) in patients undergoing treatment for alcohol dependence syndrome. Sixty-eight patients were recruited from an alcohol-rehab clinic and randomly assigned to the mHealth (n=33) or control condition (n=35). The intervention on the experimental group consisted of a therapist-assisted cognitive stimulation therapy for 4 weeks on a 2-3 days/week basis. Fourteen patients dropped out of the study. The results of the neuropsychological assessments with the remaining 54 patients showed an overall increase (P
ISSN:1438-8871
1439-4456
1438-8871
DOI:10.2196/jmir.2923