Matching Cognitive Remediation to Cognitive Deficits in Substance-Abusing Inmates

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Psychopathy; Personality Disorders
• Interventions: Other: Cognitive Remediation

• Registration Number: NCT01428349
• Lead Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Brief Summary

This is a 2 -year NIDA funded grant (Co-PIs: Joseph P. Newman, John Curtin, and Carl Lejuez) that examines whether recent progress in characterizing the cognitive deficits associated with psychopathic and externalizing offenders may be used to develop better therapeutic interventions to treat their substance abuse and other self-control problems. Inmates with externalizing or psychopathy will receive one of two computer-based interventions to remediate the core cognitive skills that have been linked to self-regulation deficits in the two groups. One intervention (ACC) targets the affective cognitive control deficits associated with externalizing offenders whereas the other intervention (ATC) targets the attention to context deficits associated with psychopathic offenders. The specific components of the project include: selection and randomization of inmates; pre- and post-treatment behavioral and brain-related (ERP and Startle) measures to evaluate the impact and specificity of the ACC and ATC treatments; and 6 sessions of behavioral (e.g. computerized) and verbal training in ACC or ATC.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-05
• Study First Submitted: 2011-08-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-08-31
• Study First Posted: 2011-09-05
• Status Verified: 2011-11
• Primary Completion: 2013-05
• Study Completion: 2013-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-05-29
• Last Update Posted: 2015-06-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 180

Inclusion Criteria

• Male,
• ages 18-45 years,
• elevated scores of psychopathy or externalizing measures

Exclusion Criteria

• currently taking psychotropic medication,
• below a 4th grade reading level,
• history or current learning disability,
• history of head trauma with lasting effects,
• current diagnosis of PTSD,
• Bipolar, or
• psychosis

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Affective Cognitive Control	Cognitive Remediation	-
Attention to Context	Cognitive Remediation	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Psychophysiological change from pre-treatment to post-treatment	6 weeks after pre-testing	We will measure electrophysiology (EEG), startle responses (EMG measured in microvolts), and behavioral responses on six tasks that measure such processes as affective regulation, distress tolerance, cognitive control, selective attention, and attending to context.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Frequency of Conduct Reports	within 3 months of participation	Assess change in the frequency of institution conduct reports post-treatment. We will compare frequency of these reports pre-treatment and post-treatment.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Fox Lake Correctional Institution; 🇺🇸 Fox Lake, Wisconsin, United States

Oshkosh Correctional Institution; 🇺🇸 Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States