Multimodal Neuroimaging of Alcohol Cues, Cortisol Response, and Compulsive Motivation

• Status: Recruiting
• Trial end date: 2022-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study proposes to examine both the peripheral and central nervous system responses when light social drinkers and binge/heavy social drinkers are exposed to visual ethanol cues, followed by oral ethanol. The findings will provide a greater understanding of the brain mechanisms (cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity) underlying the association between stress, cortisol release, alcohol craving, and alcohol stimulant and sedative effects. This knowledge could be significant in developing new therapies for the treatment of alcoholism.

• Phase: Early Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Auburn University
• Collaborator: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Binge/Heavy Social Drinkers (HSD): has never met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol or substance dependence; regular alcohol use over the past year of at least 10 drinks per week, including at lease one occasion per week consuming >4 drinks (males) or >3 drinks (females).

• Able to read and write English.

• Light Social Drinkers (LSD): has never met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol or substance dependence; regular alcohol use over the past year of 1-3 drinks per occasion, 1-3 times weekly, with no more than one occasion per month of drinking >4 drinks (male) or >3 drinks (females) (King et al., 2002).

• Do not meet criteria for any Axis I DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses except for individuals with a past diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Provide negative urine toxicology screens during initial appointments and at admission for IV/fMRI sessions.

• Body Mass Index between 20-35.

• No current or former nicotine dependence.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Meet current criteria for dependence on any psychoactive substance, excluding caffeine.

• Current or past history of alcohol dependence or abuse.

• Any current use of opiates or past history of opiate abuse/dependence.

• Current use of any psychoactive drugs, including anxiolytics, antidepressants, naltrexone or antabuse.

• Any psychotic disorder or current psychiatric symptoms requiring specific attention, including need for psychiatric medications for current major depression and anxiety disorders.

• Any significant current medical condition such as neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, liver, thyroid pathology; subjects on medications for any medical condition will be excluded.

• Peri and post-menopausal women, and those with hysterectomies.

• Pregnant and lactating women will be excluded.