Learning and Relapse Risk in Alcohol Dependence (FP2)

The investigators will examine clinical alterations in learning and automated approach behaviour and their neurobiological correlates in alcohol-dependent patients and healthy social drinkers and assess whether they are affected by a Zooming Joystick Training (ZJT; randomized "verum" versus "placebo" training) which trains subjects to habitually push alcohol pictures away. The investigators will test whether activations following treatment predict relapse rate (primary outcome measure) and the prospective amount of alcohol intake (secondary outcome measure) within a six-month follow-up period. Using fMRI, the investigators will use the Pavlovian-to-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) paradigm established during the first funding period to distinguish the effects of appetitive, aversive, and drug-related Pavlovian cues on automated instrumental approach behaviour and to assess ZJT training effects comparing functional activation before and after ZJT training. The investigators will also scan subjects during performance of a short standard working memory task. Behaviourally, aspects of impulsivity will be assessed with the Value-Based Decision Making (VBDM) Battery. Scanning will be repeated after ZJT training to assess its effects on the neural correlates of Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer (PIT).