# Brain mechanisms of reducing polysubstance use following a novel body-mind intervention

> **NIH NIH R61** · TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $42,140

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Tobacco use is the leading cause of cancer and the leading preventable cause of death. Alcohol use is
responsible for ~88,000 deaths each year in the U.S. and is another primary preventable cause of cancer. The
changing cannabis policies and the 8% increase in cannabis use in the last decade have brought new
challenges for existing treatment efforts. Our recent studies among TTU college students indicate that over
50% of those who reported alcohol intoxication, tobacco use, or cannabis use in the past month were involved
in two or more of these substances (alcohol, tobacco and cannabis - ATC). Growing evidence has shown that
polysubstance use is associated with numerous and deleterious consequences for college-attending emerging
adults, but they are often unmotivated to quit or reduce drug use. Therefore, there is an urgent need to
address this critical public health issue of widespread polysubstance use in high risk college students.
 Despite multiple treatment efforts, outcomes are far from optimal since treatments often fail to capitalize on
important target domains linked to addiction outcomes. Research shows that one target domain (mechanism)
for ATC involves deficits in self-control networks including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the anterior cingulate
cortex (ACC), and the ACC-Striatum circuit. Based on previous research conducted by our team and others,
self-control deficits have been linked to SUDs, and could be ameliorated through mindfulness meditation (MM)
and/or EEG neurofeedback (NF), both of which target self-control networks and have the potential to minimize
negative outcomes resulting from deficits in self-control. Although MM has shown promises in improving self-
control and reducing ATC use, many struggle to engage in the mindfulness practice early in treatment.
Promisingly, recent studies suggest that combining NF with MM may improve engagement with mindfulness
practice and produce larger reductions in ATC use compared to MM alone. The goal of this project is to
understand brain mechanisms of ATC reduction following brief IBMT, and optimize IBMT through EEG
Neurofeedback (NF). We will assess self-control deficits and ATC use and examine the effects of IBMT and/or
NF on improving self-control and reducing ATC use among TTU college students.
 Our study will be the first to reveal the brain mechanisms of combining mindfulness intervention
and EEG neurofeedback for treating polysubstance use, and potentially provide preliminary evidence that
the modulated self-control networks by IBMT+NF are associated with clinical benefits such as craving and ATC
reduction in high risk college students.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9882959
- **Project number:** 5R61AT010138-02
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** YIYUAN TANG
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $42,140
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-03-01 → 2021-10-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9882959

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9882959, Brain mechanisms of reducing polysubstance use following a novel body-mind intervention (5R61AT010138-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9882959. Licensed CC0.

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