Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Chinese Patients with Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Use Disorders: an EEG Functional Connectivity Study

Objectives Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) have become the most used drugs in China, and increasing evidence indicates that ATS can induce a series of cognitive deficits, including impacts to functional connectivity (FC). This study investigates FC defects among ATS patients in China, and examines the mechanism and effects of a 10-day abbreviated mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) program with electroencephalography (EEG). Methods First, resting-state EEG of 12 healthy non-ATS users and 40 male ATS patients were recorded by using a 64-channel EEG. Then, ATS users were randomly divided into two groups; the control group ( n = 20) received treatment as usual, while the intervention group ( n = 20) received the MBRP treatment. Resting-state EEG, mindful attention awareness, and self-reported craving, as well as anxiety and depression levels, were tested before and after the intervention. The weighted phase lag index was computed to reflect brain FC. Results Compared with healthy controls, ATS patients showed lower mean FC at the gamma and high gamma bands during the eye-open state. Besides, the lower EEG pairwise FC in the theta, alpha, beta, low gamma, and high gamma bands were also identified. After MBRP, the intervention group revealed increased FC in the low gamma band during the eye-open state, and significantly higher levels of mindful attention awareness when compared with those of the control group ( F = 12.926, p = 0.001). Conclusions FC is disrupted in people with ATS use disorders, and MBRP can help treat this deficit, specifically regarding low gamma bands.