Individuals with substance use disorders typically show an "attentional bias" for substance-related cues: Those cues are able to grab and hold the attention, in preference to other cues in the environment. We discuss the theoretical context for this work before reviewing the measurement of attentional bias, and its relationship to motivational state and relapse to substance use after a period of abstinence. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research for the treatment of substance use disorders. We conclude that attentional bias is associated with subjective craving, and that moment-by-moment fluctuations in attentional bias may precede relapse to substance use. The evidence regarding the predictive relationship between attentional bias assessed in treatment contexts and subsequent relapse is inconsistent. Furthermore, there is currently insufficient evidence to endorse attentional bias modification as a treatment for substance use disorders. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted.

Objective Relapse is a major problem in drug addiction treatment. Both drug craving and drug-related cognitions (e.g., attentional bias and implicit attitudes to drugs) may contribute to relapse. Using ecological momentary assessments (EMA), we examined whether craving and cognitions assessed during drug detoxification treatment were associated with relapse. Method Participants were 68 heroin-dependent inpatients undergoing clinical detoxification at an addiction treatment center. Participants carried around a personal digital assistant (PDA) for 1-week. Participants completed up to 4 random assessments (RAs) per day. They also completed an assessment when they experienced a temptation to use drugs (TA). At each assessment, participants reported their craving and attitudes to drugs. Implicit cognitions were assessed with a drug Stroop task (attentional bias) and an Implicit Association Test (implicit attitudes). Results Individuals who relapsed during the study week exhibited a larger attentional bias and more positive implicit attitudes to drugs than non-relapsers at TAs (but not RAs). In addition, compared to non-relapsers, relapsers reported higher levels of craving and more positive explicit attitudes to drugs at TAs compared to RAs. Additional within-subject analyses revealed that attentional bias for drugs at TAs increased before relapse. Conclusions Drug-related cognitive processes assessed using EMA were associated with relapse during drug detoxification. Real-time assessment of craving and cognitions may help to identify individuals at risk of relapse, and when they are at risk of relapse.

Drug-dependent patients often relapse into drug use after treatment. Behavioral studies show that enhanced attentional bias to drug cues is a precursor of relapse. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study examined whether brain regions involved in attentional bias are predictive of cocaine use after treatment. Attentional bias-related brain activity was measured-with a cocaine Stroop task-in cocaine-dependent patients during their first week in detoxification treatment and was used to predict cocaine use at 3-month follow-up. The predictive value of attentional bias-related brain activity in a priori defined regions of interest, in addition to other measures such as self-reports of substance severity, craving, and behavioral attentional bias were examined. The results show that craving in the week before treatment and individual variability in attentional bias-related activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) were significant predictors of days of cocaine use at 3-month follow-up and accounted for 45% in explained variance. Brain activity in the dACC uniquely contributed 22% of explained variance to the prediction model. These findings suggest that hyperactive attentional biasrelated brain activity in the dACC might be a biomarker of relapse vulnerability as early as in the first week of detoxification treatment. Ultimately, this may help to develop individually tailored treatment interventions to reduce relapse risk.

Rationale Relapse is an important problem in substance dependence treatment. When drug users try to abstain from drug use, they often report strong temptations to use drugs. Temptation episodes have commonalities with relapse episodes, and assessment of temptation episodes may help to identify individuals at risk of relapse. Objectives This study aims to examine affect and cognition prior to and during temptation episodes by administering self-report and implicit cognitive assessments on a handheld computer (PDA) using Ecological Momentary Assessment. Methods Heroin-dependent patients (N=68) attending a drug detoxification unit completed up to four random assessments (RAs) per day on a PDA for 1 week. They also completed an assessment when they experienced a temptation to use drugs (temptation assessment; TA). Results Participants completed 1,482 assessments (353 TAs, 1,129 RAs). The rate of TAs was maximal during the first 2 days. Participants reported higher levels of negative affect, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating, and more positive explicit attitudes to drugs, at TAs compared to RAs. In addition, they exhibited elevated attentional bias to drug cues (assessed using the modified Stroop task) at TAs compared to RAs. Implicit affective associations with drug cues (assessed using the Implicit Association Test) were not different at TAs compared to RAs. Attentional bias was elevated in the 1 h prior to the entry of a temptation episode. Conclusions Elevated attentional bias may be a harbinger of temptation episodes. Interventions that target cognitions prior to or during temptation episodes may reduce the probability or severity of a temptation episode.