본 연구 결과는 알코올 의존 환자의 전두엽은 술마시는
상황에서 정상인에 비해 불안정하게 반응하며, 이것이 술
에 대한 갈망을 증가시키는 것과 관련이 있을 것으로 생각
된다.Objectives In our previous report, alcohol dependent patients (ADP) with virtual reality treatment
showed a greater decrease in cravings for alcohol and increase in alpha power of the frontal lobe,
compared to ADP who underwent general treatment. For the showing different responsibility on alcohol
consumption situation between ADP and healthy comparisons, we compared the change in
cravings and alpha waves in frontal lobe during virtual reality treatment for alcohol dependence (VRT).
Methods Thirty seven alcohol-dependent male inpatients diagnosed using DSM-IV, and 25 ageand
education-matched healthy adult males were recruited. We measured the changes in cravings
and Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity between alcoholic patients and healthy control subjects during
VRT.
Results During the VRT, ADP reported higher craving for alcohol during the high risk situation and
lower craving for alcohol during aversive situation, compared to healthy controls. The alpha wave of
frontal lobe activity in ADP was decreased while that in healthy subject was increased from relaxation
to high risk situation (HRS). In ADP, the changes of EEG (Fp1-A1 (r=-0.48, p=0.04), F7-A1 (r=-
were negatively correlated with the change of craving for alcohol.
Conclusion The present study demonstrated that the ready availability and the affinity of alcohol
cues in ADP appear to be correlated with decreased function of the frontal lobe.