Effects of Sulfasalazine on BOLD Response to Alcohol Cues
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The overarching objective of this pilot study is to apply both neuroimaging and
pharmacogenetic tools to the study of alcohol dependence. This proposed research will provide
a mechanistic test of the function of the genetic variation. The specific aims and hypotheses
are to test whether Sulfasalazine, as compared to placebo, diminishes blood-oxygen-level
dependent (BOLD) response to alcohol cues in the striatum and prefrontal cortex (PFC). To
test the hypothesis, we will compare Sulfasalazine treatment with placebo treatment on BOLD
difference maps for the contrast alcohol minus control. We will also explore whether specific
genetic variations influence this effect. A double-blind, placebo-controlled 2 (Medication:
Sulfasalazine 1500 mg vs. placebo control) x 2 (Cue: Alcohol Cue vs. Control cue)
within-subjects, crossover design will be used to test the hypothesis that Sulfasalazine
reduces the BOLD response in the striatum and prefrontal cortex after exposure to alcohol
cues. Twenty alcohol-dependent participants will complete two rounds of the study medication
followed by an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, during which they will
complete an alcohol cue-exposure task. The order of the medication condition will be
counterbalanced such that subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either Sulfasalazine
(1500 mg) in the first session and placebo in the second session one week later (or vice
versa). This pilot study will help to determine whether NMDA receptors play a role in
cue-elicited activation of key areas of the brain implicated in the development and
maintenance of substance use disorders. Furthermore, if Sulfasalazine reduces cue-elicited
activation of these brain regions, as hypothesized; this study will lay the groundwork for a
larger trial on the efficacy of Sulfasalazine as a treatment for substance use disorders.