Laboratory Studies on Oxytocin for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2017-06-15
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This study will examine the utility of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) as a potential new
medication for the treatment of Alcohol use disorder (AUD). Non-treatment seeking men and
women with AUD will be enrolled in a double blind placebo controlled phase I clinical trial.
Participants will complete an 7-day inpatient protocol. During the first 3 days of the
inpatient protocol, participants will complete alcohol abstinence in which withdrawal
symptoms are measured,and urine will be collected to determine withdrawal symptom severity
and urine levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Participants will then complete 3 laboratory
procedures which measure 1) stress response, 2) motivation to drink alcohol and 3) subjective
and physiological effects of alcohol. Finally, because participants are individuals with AUD,
investigators will administer a brief intervention to address their risky alcohol drinking
and problems before discharge.