Chapter 19 - Inhibitory control training

Andrew Jones,Matt Field

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-815298-0.00019-8

Abstract

Inhibitory control training (ICT) is a novel behavioral intervention that has the goal to help substance users to improve their inhibitory control and thereby increase control over their substance use. In this chapter we review the evidence which demonstrates that, in healthy volunteers, brief sessions of ICT prompt robust reductions in alcohol consumption in laboratory settings. There is a need to translate this work into ICT interventions for delivery to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) in clinical, naturalistic, or online settings. Here the evidence base is scarce, although we describe findings from one recent randomized controlled trial which demonstrated that beneficial effects of Internet-delivered ICT on alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers were obscured by nonspecific factors that were common to both ICT and the control intervention. Further work is required to clarify the mechanisms of action of ICT before its optimization and implementation as a standalone or adjunct intervention for SUDs and behavioral addictions.

Highlights

During the childhood years and into adolescence, the brain grows tremendously, causing a significant change in cognitive capacities
The cognitive capacity to inhibit a prepotent, automatic response grows tremendously during the early childhood years corresponding with and as a function of profound brain development taking place at this time [1, 2]. This cognitive ability is rather distinct from other foundational cognitive capacities, such as attention and working memory; considerable research suggests that during early childhood these distinctions are less clear, leading many researchers to consider and research Executive functions (EF) as a more global function at this age [8–14]
Research which focuses on inhibitory control (IC) during the early childhood years typically utilizes simple, game-like tasks which require brief or no verbal response, and researchers typically utilize a variety of tasks which may assess various areas of EF, including the Day/Night Stroop task [15, 29] and the Go/NoGo task [1, 5, 19, 30]

Summary

Introduction

During the childhood years and into adolescence, the brain grows tremendously, causing a significant change in cognitive capacities. In later years of childhood and adolescence, many of the neurological changes correspond with advancements in perspective taking and reasoning; evidence from the early childhood years suggests that these changes more closely align with advancements in inhibitory control and executive functions more broadly [1, 2]. There are distinct developmental changes which inform our understanding of inhibitory control and which merit further discussion. Regardless, these developmental changes have profound impacts on children’s development overall, including academic and social outcomes. Research which utilizes inhibitory control (IC) training within the early childhood ages demonstrates positive results, with more intensive training yielding more promising results

Results

Discussion

Conclusion