Grant: CIHR Fellowship

One of the main challenges in the treatment of drug addiction is the high risk of relapse that can happen very early at the beginning of the abstinence period. The relapse phenomenon is accompanied by an experience of a strong urge to use drugs called craving, which can be triggered by a re-exposure to cues and contexts previously associated with drug use. Studies have shown a phenomenon called incubation of craving, which is an increase of craving in the first months after stopping the use of drugs, such as cocaine. However, these studies used self-reported methods to qualify craving, a subjective method that may be biased. Moreover, no human studies have attempted to monitor the evolution of craving over a long period of time. Therefore, this project aims at objectively evaluating how the incubation of craving evolves over a period of one year in cocaine-addicted adults. Two hundred and ten subjects will be assessed using an electroencephalographic method called event-related potentials, which measures brain activity in response to images. In this case, neutral images and images associated with cocaine use will be presented. Brain reactivity to the images as measured by a specific component of event-related potentials will be compared at different times following the beginning of abstinence (3, 6, 9, and 12 months). Finally, this study will increase our knowledge about the fluctuation of craving over time and its involvement in relapse. This project will specifically inform clinicians about the risk factors for relapse at specific moments during the abstinence period, which may also guide the development of new interventions and prevention tools in order to reduce the chances of relapse.