System for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory regression based on exposure therapy

Abstract

The invention discloses a system and an evaluation system for intervening alcohol addiction by subconscious memory regression based on exposure therapy. The system for intervening the alcohol addiction based on the subconscious memory regression of the exposure therapy comprises a fixation point presentation module, an alcohol picture presentation module, a masking picture presentation module, a test interval control module and a test cycle control module, and the intervention process is accurately controlled. Interference on the subconsciousness level is achieved by temporarily presenting alcohol related pictures and immediately using the masking technology, alcohol stimulation is effectively processed, and meanwhile consciousness level resistance is avoided. The evaluation system comprehensively evaluates the intervention effect by collecting VAS desire scores and physiological indexes before and after subconsciousness memory regression intervention. According to the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory fading, the compliance of a patient is improved, the problems that traditional treatment is long in consumed time and limited in effect are solved, particularly, remarkable advantages are shown in the aspects of eliminating original memory and reducing the redrinking rate, and a new scheme with a good effect is provided for alcohol addiction treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medical system, in particular to a system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy. Background Art

[0002] Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common chronic disease that is extremely harmful to society. It has multiple etiological factors and is associated with a variety of physical and mental sequelae. It is characterized by tolerance, withdrawal, and uncontrolled drinking behavior. Chronic and excessive alcohol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, liver cirrhosis, cancer, and other diseases. In addition, with the rapid development of society and the resulting life pressure, more and more Chinese people suffer from AUD, causing a huge disease burden and social burden. In recent years, the field of drug abuse has made many advances in the direction of neurobiology, but it is difficult to apply to AUD, and new treatment intervention methods are urgently needed. At present, drug treatment for AUD is mainly symptomatic treatment to relieve withdrawal symptoms, not to reduce psychological craving. Therefore, the psychological craving and relapse rate of AUD patients after discharge from hospital are still very high. Cue exposure therapy uses the extinction principle mentioned above to reduce the physiological and psychological reactions induced by alcohol stimulation cues. It is a commonly used clinical treatment method. However, there are some defects. It is time-consuming and has limited effect. Relapse still occurs after treatment. The reason is that the extinction memory only suppresses the original memory, but does not eliminate the original memory. The extinct alcohol use disorder memory will reappear after a period of time, that is, spontaneous recovery. Re-exposure to alcohol will also cause the reappearance of the original memory. These are the neural basis of alcohol pathological memory and an important reason for the limited clinical treatment.

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of existing technologies, it is necessary to provide a system for intervening in alcohol addiction to overcome the problems of traditional treatment options being time-consuming and having limited effects, especially to address the challenge of suppressing extinction memories rather than eliminating the original memories, leading to a high relapse rate.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used for understanding the background of the present application, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects existing in the above-mentioned background technology and provide a system for intervening alcohol addiction by subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A system of subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy, including:

[0008] A fixation point presentation module, used to present the fixation point at the beginning of each trial to stabilize the participant's gaze and attention;

[0009] An alcohol picture presentation module, which briefly presents alcohol-related pictures immediately after the fixation point presentation to ensure that the pictures are processed primarily at a subconscious level;

[0010] a masking picture presentation module, for presenting a processed masking picture immediately after the presentation of the alcohol-related picture, so as to further block the participant's conscious processing of the alcohol picture;

[0011] a display module for presentation of fixation points, alcohol-related pictures, and masking pictures;

[0012] An inter-trial interval control module, used to set random intervals between consecutive trials to avoid participants’ anticipation and adaptation;

[0013] The trial cycle control module is used to control the number of repetitions of each trial and the duration of the entire experiment to achieve the required exposure time.

[0014] Further:

[0015] The processed mask image is a mosaic image that has been Gaussian blurred and disrupted.

[0016] The duration of the fixation point presentation is 1000 to 1500 milliseconds;

[0017] The alcohol-related images were presented for a period of 16.7 to 33.7 milliseconds;

[0018] The duration of the masked image is 117 to 234 milliseconds;

[0019] The random intervals between trials ranged from 1000 to 1500 ms;

[0020] The number of repetitions for each trial is 25 to 30 trials, the entire experiment is cycled 12 to 15 times, and the continuous exposure time is 20 to 30 minutes.

[0021] An assessment system for subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy, including:

[0022] The VAS craving score collection module is used to collect participants' visual analogue scales (VAS) to quantify craving levels before and after the subliminal memory extinction intervention;

[0023] An objective physiological index collection module, used to record the participants' physiological indexes before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention;

[0024] Subconscious memory extinction intervention module, used to implement exposure therapy-based subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction;

[0025] The addiction craving assessment module is used to assess the addiction craving of participants before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention, process and analyze VAS craving scores and objective physiological indicator data to evaluate the intervention effect.

[0026] Further:

[0027] The physiological indicators include one or more of skin electricity, heart rate and blood pressure.

[0028] The subconscious memory extinction intervention module includes the exposure therapy-based subconscious memory extinction intervention system for alcohol addiction.

[0029] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, runs the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy.

[0030] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, runs the evaluation system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy.

[0031] A computer program product comprises a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, runs the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy.

[0032] A computer program product comprises a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program runs the evaluation system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy.

[0033] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The present invention provides an innovative system for subconscious memory extinction intervention in alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy. By introducing extremely short exposure time and visual masking technology, intervention is carried out at the subconscious level, which effectively promotes the processing of alcohol-related stimuli while avoiding resistance and adaptation at the conscious level. Furthermore, the system ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of the intervention by precisely controlling the presentation time of the fixation point, alcohol pictures and masking pictures, as well as the random interval between trials. The system of the present invention not only improves the compliance of patients, but is also more effective than traditional visual exposure intervention in reducing alcohol cravings, providing a new and more effective solution for the treatment of alcohol addiction, overcoming the problems of time-consuming and limited effects of existing treatment solutions, and especially solving the challenge of high relapse rates caused by extinction memory suppression rather than elimination of original memories. In addition, the evaluation system of the present invention comprehensively evaluates the addiction craving state of the participants by collecting VAS craving scores and objective physiological indicators before and after the intervention, thereby comprehensively and accurately evaluating the effect of subconscious memory extinction intervention.

[0035] Other beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention will be further described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 This is a structural composition diagram of a system for intervening in alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a structural composition diagram of an evaluation system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 This is an experimental picture of the systematic sequence of presentation of the subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the scoring results of the evaluation system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be emphasized that the following description is only exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention.

[0041] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element. In addition, connection can be used for fixing as well as for coupling or communication.

[0042] It should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by terms such as "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0043] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0044] See also Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy, including: a fixation point presentation module, used to present a fixation point at the beginning of each trial to stabilize the participant's sight and attention; an alcohol picture presentation module, used to briefly present alcohol-related pictures immediately after the fixation point presentation to ensure that the pictures are mainly processed at the subconscious level; a masking picture presentation module, used to present a processed masking picture immediately after the alcohol-related picture presentation to further prevent the participant from conscious processing of the alcohol picture; a display module, used for presenting fixation points, alcohol-related pictures, and masking pictures; an inter-trial interval control module, used to set a random interval between consecutive trials to avoid the participant's expectations and adaptation; a trial cycle control module, used to control the number of repetitions of each trial and the duration of the entire experiment to achieve the required exposure time. The pictures referred to in the present invention include video frames.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the processed mask image is a mosaic image that has been Gaussian blurred and disrupted.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the duration of the fixation point presentation is 1000 to 1500 milliseconds; the presentation time of the alcohol-related picture is 16.7 to 33.7 milliseconds; the duration of the masking picture is 117 to 234 milliseconds; the interval time of the random interval between trials is 1000 to 1500 milliseconds; the number of repetitions of each trial is 25 to 30 trials, the entire experimental cycle is 12 to 15 times, and the continuous exposure time is 20 to 30 minutes.

[0047] The present invention provides a system for intervening alcohol addiction by subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy. By giving an extremely short exposure time and limiting the awareness of stimulus exposure through visual masking, intervention is performed at the subconscious level, which in turn promotes their processing. The subconscious state is not easy to detect, and the patient has high compliance. Under controllable conditions, the patient can tolerate treatment and develop the ability to resist. The system of the present invention performs exposure therapy at the subconscious level by giving an extremely short exposure time and masking. In view of the limitations of the prior art, the system of the present invention utilizes the effectiveness of subconscious memory extinction for fear memory, applies subconscious memory extinction to patients with alcohol use disorder, and constructs an effective alcohol use disorder treatment system. In a preferred embodiment, the system ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of the intervention by accurately controlling the presentation time of the fixation point, alcohol pictures and masking pictures, as well as the random intervals between trials.

[0048] See also Figure 2 , an evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention of alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy, comprising: a VAS craving score acquisition module, used to collect the visual analogue score (VAS) of the participants before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention to quantify the degree of craving; an objective physiological index acquisition module, used to record the physiological indexes of the participants before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention, and these physiological indexes may include (but not limited to) one or more of skin electricity, heart rate and blood pressure; a subconscious memory extinction intervention module, used to implement subconscious memory extinction intervention based on exposure therapy for alcohol addiction; an addiction craving evaluation module, used to evaluate the addiction craving of the participants before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention, and process and analyze the VAS craving score and objective physiological index data to evaluate the intervention effect.

[0049] The subconscious memory extinction intervention module includes the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy according to the aforementioned embodiment.

[0050] This evaluation system comprehensively evaluates the participants' addiction craving state by performing VAS craving scores and recording objective physiological indicators before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention. It combines subjective scores and objective physiological indicators to comprehensively and accurately evaluate the effectiveness of the subconscious memory extinction intervention.

[0051] experiment

[0052] 1. Before the subconscious memory extinction intervention clues were exposed, VAS craving scores were performed, and skin electricity, heart rate, and blood pressure were recorded at the same time.

[0053] 2. The pictures or videos of visual stimulation were presented on a computer screen. According to different processing levels, there were subconscious extinction group (very brief exposure, VBE), subconscious extinction control group (very brief exposure of neutralstimulus, VBN), and clear visual exposure group (clearly visual exposure, CVE). Among them, the stimulation sequence was based on the subconscious task masking paradigm (the presentation of the stimulus appearance time was very brief). Through repeated exposure to alcohol stimulation under unconscious perception, desensitization was carried out at the unconscious processing level. 25 alcohol cue pictures (including the types of alcohol that AUD patients habitually drink and common drinking scenes) were used as target stimuli, and 25 landscape pictures were used as neutral control stimuli. The size of all pictures was standardized to 500×500 pixels, and the size, resolution and brightness of the pictures were processed to match. In the cue masking paradigm, the VBE group or VBN group was first presented with instructions: "You may not be able to see the next picture clearly, but please try your best to see it and make corresponding scores after the experiment." The instructions for the CVE group were: "Please look at the pictures carefully and make corresponding scores after the end."

[0054] 3. Before the subconscious memory extinction intervention clues were exposed, VAS craving scores were performed, and skin electricity, heart rate, and blood pressure were recorded at the same time.

[0055] Figure 3 The experimental picture presentation order shown is: (a) picture type: white wine, red wine, beer, foreign wine, strong wine, scenery; (b) experimental picture presentation order of the VBE group; (c) experimental picture presentation order of the VBN group; (d) experimental picture presentation order of the CVE group.

[0056] (1) VBE group: Using the system of the present invention, in each trial, the fixation point first appeared for 1000-1500ms, followed by a 16.7-33.7ms alcohol picture on the screen, followed by a 117-234ms mosaic "masking" picture that was Gaussian blurred and scrambled to mask the alcohol stimulus, with a random interval of 1000-1500ms between trials. Each group had a total of 25-30 trials, 12 cycles, and continuous exposure for 20-30 minutes. Figure 3 .

[0057] (2) VBN group: In each trial, the fixation point first appeared for 1000ms, followed by a 33.7ms landscape image on the screen, followed by a 117ms mosaic "masking" image that was Gaussian blurred and shuffled, masking the neutral stimulus. The interval between trials was randomized to 1-1.5ms. Each group had 25 trials, 12 cycles, and continuous exposure for 20 minutes. Figure 3 .

[0058] (3) CVE group: In each trial, the fixation point first appeared for 1000 ms, followed by a recognizable alcohol picture on the screen for 150 ms, with a random interval of 1 to 1.5 s between trials. Each group had 25 trials, 12 cycles, and continuous exposure for 20 minutes. Figure 3 .

[0059] The VAS craving scores were recorded before and after the intervention in different groups. It showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the VAS scores of the subconscious memory extinction group, the control group and the obvious visual group before and after the intervention (p>0.05), but the VAS difference score was statistically significant (p<0.05), that is, the VAS score after the intervention was minus the VAS score before the intervention. Post-hoc analysis found that there was a significant difference between the subconscious memory extinction group and the obvious visual group (p<0.05). Figure 4 , which suggests that subconscious memory extinction intervention using the system of the present invention (VBE group) is more effective in reducing alcohol craving than traditional visual exposure intervention (CVE group).

[0060] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage medium for storing a computer program, which at least performs the above method when executed.

[0061] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a control device, comprising a processor and a storage medium for storing a computer program; wherein the processor is configured to execute at least the method described above when executing the computer program.

[0062] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a processor, wherein the processor executes a computer program and at least executes the method described above.

[0063] The storage medium can be implemented by any type of non-volatile storage device, or a combination thereof. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic random access memory (FRAM), a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a disk memory or a tape memory. The storage medium described in the embodiments of the present invention is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0064] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as: multiple units or components can be combined, or can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection between the components shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of the devices or units can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0065] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units; some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0066] In addition, all functional units in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may be separately used as a unit, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit; the above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of hardware plus software functional units.

[0067] Those skilled in the art can understand that: all or part of the steps of implementing the above method embodiments can be completed by hardware related to program instructions, and the aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it executes the steps of the above method embodiments; and the aforementioned storage medium includes: mobile storage devices, read-only memories (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memories (RAM, Random Access Memory), disks or optical disks, etc. Various media that can store program codes.

[0068] Alternatively, if the above-mentioned integrated unit of the present invention is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention can be essentially or partly reflected in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as mobile storage devices, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0069] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided by the present invention can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0070] The features disclosed in several product embodiments provided by the present invention can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0071] The features disclosed in several method or device embodiments provided by the present invention can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments or device embodiments.

[0072] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present invention in combination with specific preferred embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art of the present invention, several equivalent substitutions or obvious variations can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the performance or use is the same, which should be regarded as belonging to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy, characterized in that: include: A fixation point presentation module, used to present the fixation point at the beginning of each trial to stabilize the participant's gaze and attention; An alcohol picture presentation module, which briefly presents alcohol-related pictures immediately after the fixation point presentation to ensure that the pictures are processed primarily at a subconscious level; a masking picture presentation module, for presenting a processed masking picture immediately after the presentation of the alcohol-related picture, so as to further block the participant's conscious processing of the alcohol picture; a display module for presentation of fixation points, alcohol-related pictures, and masking pictures; An inter-trial interval control module, used to set random intervals between consecutive trials to avoid participants’ anticipation and adaptation; The trial cycle control module is used to control the number of repetitions of each trial and the duration of the entire experiment to achieve the required exposure time.

2. The system for subconscious memory extinction intervention in alcohol addiction as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The processed mask image is a mosaic image that has been Gaussian blurred and disrupted.

3. The system for subconscious memory extinction intervention in alcohol addiction according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The duration of the fixation point presentation is 1000 to 1500 milliseconds; The alcohol-related images were presented for a period of 16.7 to 33.7 milliseconds; The duration of the masked image is 117 to 234 milliseconds; The random intervals between trials ranged from 1000 to 1500 ms; The number of repetitions for each trial is 25 to 30 trials, the entire experiment is cycled 12 to 15 times, and the continuous exposure time is 20 to 30 minutes.

4. An evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention in alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy, characterized in that: include: The VAS craving score collection module is used to collect participants' visual analogue scales (VAS) to quantify craving levels before and after the subliminal memory extinction intervention; An objective physiological index collection module, used to record the participants' physiological indexes before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention; Subconscious memory extinction intervention module, used to implement exposure therapy-based subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction; The addiction craving assessment module is used to assess the addiction craving of participants before and after the subconscious memory extinction intervention, process and analyze VAS craving scores and objective physiological indicator data to evaluate the intervention effect.

5. The evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The subconscious memory extinction intervention module comprises the system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The physiological indicators include one or more of skin electricity, heart rate and blood pressure.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 is run.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 is run.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the system for intervening alcohol addiction through subconscious memory extinction based on exposure therapy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 is run.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the evaluation system for subconscious memory extinction intervention for alcohol addiction based on exposure therapy as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 is run.

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