Efficacy and associated neurotransmitters of digital cognitive behavior therapy for atopic dermatitis: A comparative effectiveness research.

BACKGROUND: Negative emotions are a major comorbidity of atopic dermatitis (AD). Evidence that supports the effectiveness of digital cognitive behavioral therapy (dCBT) as an adjuvant therapy for AD remains limited.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the preliminary efficacy of additional dCBT and potential neurotransmitter biomarkers for AD accompanied by negative emotions.

METHODS: Thirty-two patients with AD were recruited and examined for clinical severity and negative emotions including insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Patients with mild-to-moderate negative emotions were divided into two groups that received standard care (N = 9) or mobile app-delivered CBT plus standard care (N = 11) for 12 weeks. Plasma levels of 40 neurotransmitters were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry pre- and post-treatment.

RESULTS: Skin lesions, itch, and insomnia were significantly improved in both treatment groups. Improvements of itch (P = 0.0449) and insomnia (P = 0.0089) were more robust in the combination treatment group than those in the standard treatment group. Neurotransmitters that involve tryptophan, dopamine, and histidine pathways were markedly altered in patients with AD compared with healthy controls. Taurine levels were selectively increased following dCBT plus standard care (P = 0.0259). Baseline levels of L-tyrosine were negatively correlated with the reduction of skin lesions (r = -0.9073, P = 0.0334) and itch intensity (r = -0.9322, P = 0.0210) in the combination therapy group.

CONCLUSIONS: dCBT provides an efficacious supplementary approach for AD accompanied by negative emotions. Emotion-related neurotransmitters may contribute to AD and serve as indicators for treatment effects.