|
Citation
|
Noël X, Dubuson M, Rougier M, Lelard T, Mouras H, Kornreich C, Wyckmans F, Pereira M, Chatard A, Jaafari N, Campanella S. Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
|
Abstract
|
BACKGROUND: Spontaneous motor responses of approach and avoidance toward stimuli are important in characterizing psychopathological conditions, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, divergent results have been reported, possibly due to confounded parameters (i.e. using a symbolic versus a sensorimotor task, implementation of approach-avoidance as a measure versus a manipulation).
METHOD: We studied whole body/posturometric changes by using a sensorimotor measure relying on embodied cognition principles to assess forward (approach) and backward (avoidance) spontaneous leaning movements. Over a 12-second period, 51 male patients with AUD and 29 male control participants were instructed to stand still in response to both alcohol and sexual visual content. Patients with AUD were then divided into "abstainers" and "relapsers," depending on their continuous abstinence at two weeks post-discharge (telephonic follow-up interview). The effects of the group, the stimulus type, the experimental period, and their interactions with the posturometric changes were tested with mixed ANOVAs, with a significance threshold set at 0.05.
RESULTS: Contrary to our expectations, mixed ANOVAs showed that patients and controls did not show significant difference in their forward/backward micro-movements while passively viewing alcohol and sexual content (p > 0.1). However, in line with our hypothesis, patients who relapsed several weeks following discharge from the rehabilitation program were significantly more reactive and more likely to lean back during the first seconds of seeing alcohol cues (p = 0.002). With regard to sexual content, "relapsers" were more likely to lean forward than participants who remained abstinent (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the distinct pattern of spontaneous movements between "abstainers" and "relapsers" in light of existing data and theories on action tendencies in AUD.
Language: en |