The study of the acoustic startle reflex modulation in alcoholics subjects in the presence of positive, aversive, neutral images and images related to alcohol consumption will allow us to measure the implicit affective valence of theses cues.

To compare the emotional valence of the stimuli related to alcohol consumption between two groups of alcoholic patients (abstainers vs relapsers).

55 alcoholic patients (29 abstainers and 26 relapsers) were exposed to acoustic startle test after three weeks of detoxification treatment. Difference between the amplitude of the startle reflex associated to images related to alcohol and the one associated to neutral images was used as dependent variable (motivational value of alcohol cues=startle amplitude in the presence of alcohol images-startle amplitude of neutral images).

Abstainers patients showed a decrease of the startle reflex in the presence of visualization of alcohol associated stimuli compared to the registered ones in the presence of neutral stimuli (μ=-0.041). For the group of relapsers an increase (μ=0.034) of the amplitude of the startle reflex when they were exposed to alcohol related images was registered in contrast with the amplitude registered in the presence of neutral images. Differences between groups were significant (p<0.01).

Abstainers process alcohol-related images as positive stimuli. Conversely, relapsers will stop processing alcohol-related images as appetizing or positive stimuli.