The Mechanisms of Behavior Change project is studying how individuals are able to use self-control processes to reduce or quit drinking using brain imaging. The results may help us better understand the process of recovery and its relationship to addiction as a brain disease.

1. UNDERSTANDING
MECHANISMS OF
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach
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August 1, 2013

2. Acknowledgments
NIMH
NIDA
NIAAA
Jon Morgenstern
Noam Zerubavel
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Kevin Ochsner
Nasir Naqvi
CASPIR
Andrew Chen
Kaerensa Craft
Marie Hayes
Alexis Kuerbis
Russ Marks
Fred Muench
Cassie van StolkCooke
Alicia Wiprovnick
SCN Lab
Bruce Doré
Robert DeBellis
Alexa Hubbard
Katie Insel
Seth Kallman
Elina Kanellopoulou
Rebecca Martin
Jenny Porter
Jennifer Silvers
Jochen Weber
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3. Responses to Alcohol Cues 
Behavior
Reactivity & Regulation
affective & cognitive processes
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4. Cognitive Neuroscience
Approach
Ochsner & Lieberman, 2001; Ochsner & Feldman Barrett, 2001; Ochsner, 2008; Martin Braunstein et al., in prep
Social/Cognitive/Affective
Performance
behavior, stimuli
(lab tasks)
Information Processing
psychological cognitive
affective & processes,
mentalprocesses
representations
Neural Systems
specific brain regions
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5. Cognitive Neuroscience
Approach
Ochsner & Lieberman, 2001; Ochsner & Feldman Barrett, 2001; Ochsner, 2008; Martin Braunstein et al., in prep
Social/Cognitive/Affective
Performance
1: Apply the model of
basic mechanisms
behavior, stimuli
behavioral measures of
(lab & regulation
emotion tasks)
Information Processing
psychological cognitive
affective & processes,
mentalprocesses
representations
Neural Systems
2: Translate the model
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fMRI measures of cortical
specific brain regions
& subcortical systems
For a given population, use behavioral
and neural measures to draw inferences
about (dys)function of specific processes
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6. Extant Cog Neuro
Treatment Studies
Morgenstern, Naqvi, DeBellis, & Breiter (2013)
• Predictors of relapse
• Identify biomarkers (morphology and/or activation) that
predict relapse
• Treatment effects
• Develop treatments that target deficits identified by cog
neuro theories (e.g., working memory)
• Test whether treatment changes brain activity to better
understand mechanism of treatment effect
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7. Mechanisms of Reactivity and
Regulation Can Inform
Treatments
• Cognitive neuroscience paradigms characterize nature
of the disorder (biomarkers)
• Heightened reward reactivity?
• Regulatory deficits?
• Neural responses to component processes of behavioral
treatments may relate to individual differences in
treatment response
• Ability to apply tailored treatments
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8. Ventral Striatum Responds to
Rewards
Primary Rewards
Secondary Rewards
O’Doherty et al., 2002
Fareri, Martin, & Delgado, 2008
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Knutson et al., 2003
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9. Striatum Activity
Predicts Behavior
Demos et al., 2012
Ventral striatum response to food and erotic images
predicts weight gain and sexual activity.
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10. Emotion Regulation
Process Model
after Gross, 1998; Ochsner & Gross, 2005; Ochsner et al., 2012
Regulatory Processes
Situation
selection
Stimuli in context
Select situations
that promote
desired responses
Cognitive change
Situation modification
Internal: thoughts,
sensations, etc.
External: people,
cues, events, etc.
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Response modulation
Attention
Appraisal
Response
Change what you
focus on
Reappraise
meaning of
stimulus/event
Suppress or
enhance
expression/b
ehavior
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11. Neural Circuitry of
Reactivity & Regulation
Ochsner & Gross, 2005, 2008; Ochsner et al., 2012, Martin Braunstein, Gross & Ochsner in prep
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12. Regulation Decreases
Reward Reactivity
Monetary rewards
(Delgado et al., 2008;
Staudinger et al., 2009)
Neural responses to
cocaine cues
(Volkow et al., 2010)
Cigarette craving
(Kober et al., 2010)
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13. Cognitive Regulation of Craving
Kober, Mende-Siedlecki, Weber, Hart, Mischel, & Ochsner (2010) PNAS
Think about immediate
consequences of consuming…
NOW
How smoking would make you
feel, it’s smell, it’s taste….
Think about long-term
consequences of consumption…
LATER
Consequence for your health…
Cancer, lung & heart disease….
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14. Important to Understand
Regulation
• Reactivity is affected by regulation
• AUD may by driven by
• Heightened reactivity to cues
• Impaired regulation ability
• Both
• Cognitive neuroscience approach allows for examination
of reactivity & regulation
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15. THANK YOU!
Ending Addiction
Changes Everything
www.casacolumbia.org
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