View clinical trials related to Alcoholism.
Filter by:Investigation of the influence of the sense of presence during a Virtual Reality Cue-Exposure Therapy (VR-CET) with alcohol-associated cues on craving and relapse rates. Study group: abstinent patients (at least 18 years old) with a diagnosed alcohol dependence after completed inpatient withdrawal treatment in the the last 3 months. Primary hypothesis: the experience of presence during a virtual presentation of alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients is associated with levels of craving for alcohol during VR-CET.
The goals of this Pilot Trial are to test the preliminary efficacy of Problom-Solving Therapy (PST)-APPLE Watch in a 2-arm pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT), vs education only-control to reduce alcohol use disorder symptoms and improve alcohol abstinence.
This research will translate findings from preclinical research and provide the initial clinical evidence that orexin antagonism reduces motivation for alcohol, as well as other alcohol-associated maladaptive behaviors in people with Alcohol Use Disorder. This study will also provide basic science information about the orexinergic mechanisms underlying the pharmacodynamic effects of alcohol in humans. As such, the outcomes will contribute to our understanding of the clinical neurobiology of Alcohol Use Disorder. Overall, the proposed work seeks to expand the scope of current clinical neuroscience research on alcohol addiction by focusing on orexin, which has strong preclinical evidence supporting its critical role in addiction but remains unstudied in humans.
This is an observational, prospective case-control study evaluating the effects of an emergency department community health worker-peer recovery specialist program (PCHW), the Substance Misuse Assistance Response Team (SMART). Aims of this study are to 1) understand participant experiences working with a SMART PCHW and identify possible mechanisms for successful recovery linkage; 2) Evaluate SMART effectiveness on patient-centered outcomes, building recovery capital, and recovery linkage; 3) Evaluate SMART implementation and effectiveness on patient outcomes over time. Using a combination of surveys and data linkages to state administrative databases, study investigators will prospectively compare changes in addiction treatment engagement, recovery capital, health related social needs, acute care utilization, and death between people receiving a ED PCHW and those who do not. After consenting to study participation, participants will complete surveys at time of study enrollment and 3 and 6 months after their initial ED visit. Primary outcomes include engagement in addiction treatment, social services engagement, acute care utilization, and mortality will be assessed through linkages to state administrative databases.
Oral disulfiram (Antabuse®) has been shown to improve image-forming vision in animal models with retinal degeneration due to its ability to decrease Retinoic Acid synthesis and consequently reduce hyperactivity in the inner retina. The investigator will aim to evaluate the impact of oral disulfiram on the vision of patients with retinal degeneration who are being treated with the drug in the management of their concurrent alcohol use disorder.
The Systematic Implementation of Patient-centered Care for Alcohol Use Trial is a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, effectiveness-implementation trial testing two interventions to systematically implement shared decision-making with primary care patients with symptoms due to alcohol use: a primary care intervention and a centralized intervention. An anticipated 30 primary care clinics will be randomized to one of three conditions: usual care or the primary care or centralized interventions.
This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness and implementability of the CHESS Health Connections smartphone application among patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) at two medical centers in Michigan and Wisconsin, in two types of clinics: general hepatology and multidisciplinary that offers care for advanced ALD alongside co-located, integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment. The long-term goal of this and future work is to prevent disease progression and promote healthy behaviors by improving the rate of abstinence among patients with ALD earlier in the course of their disease. 298 participants will be enrolled and can expect to be on study for up to 6 months.
One in 10 Veterans have an alcohol use disorder. However, few Veterans receive evidenced-based psychosocial interventions or medications to treat alcohol use disorder. Barriers to receiving these treatments include long wait times, stigma, and long distances from treatment facilities. Even fewer Veterans receive psychosocial and medication interventions together, despite clinical practice guidelines recommending both and evidence of better outcomes. Expanding access to these treatments in primary care is a VA priority but delivering psychosocial interventions is difficult in this setting, and medication is often the only option. Smartphone apps that deliver alcohol interventions may improve drinking outcomes and ensure Veterans can receive both treatments in primary care. This study will determine whether medications and an app for alcohol use problems offered to Veterans in primary care results in improved drinking outcomes, compared to Veterans receiving medications only. Study data will inform how to spread the app across the VA nationally.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if a peer-delivered emotion regulation training (Brief-Unified Protocol) workshop is effective for preventing posttraumatic stress and other psychological health symptoms in firefighter trainees. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Do firefighter recruits who receive peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol report lower PTSD symptom severity over time compared to those who receive psychoeducation? - Do firefighter recruits who receive peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol report lower AUD, depression, anxiety, and functional impairment symptom severity over time compared to those who receive psychoeducation? - Do changes in neuroticism or emotion regulation mediate the effect of receiving the Brief-Unified Protocol on the treatment outcomes? Participants will: - Participate in a Brief-Unified Protocol workshop or psychoeducation workshop during fire academy training. - Complete a questionnaire and clinical interview prior to the workshop. - Complete a questionnaire immediately following the workshop and follow up questionnaires at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after completing the fire academy. Researchers will compare firefighters who receive a peer-delivered Brief-Unified Protocol workshop to firefighters who receive peer-delivered psychoeducation to see if the Brief-Unified Protocol is effective for preventing posttraumatic stress and other psychological health symptoms.
BACKGROUND The brain and spinal cord are enveloped by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which extends down to the base of the spine, a few centimeters below the termination of the spinal cord. Here, it can be collected through a minor needle puncture. This procedure enables the gathering of information about otherwise concealed molecular and cellular processes in the brain. Analyzing various specific molecules in the CSF has yielded crucial insights into the underlying mechanisms of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and dementia, significantly enhancing the prospects for its treatment. However, for several brain disorders, including Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and substance use disorders, CSF studies are absent. AUD, a brain disease affecting the reward system, is characterized by an inability to limit alcohol consumption. High levels of alcohol intake, as seen in AUD, are a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality. Yet, there is a lack of effective medications for its treatment. Analyzing molecules in CSF, believed to be significant for the development and maintenance of AUD, could enhance the development of effective pharmacological treatments. At present, there are no CSF studies on individuals with AUD, that explore the underlying mechanisms of the disease. Additionally, several CSF studies lack a representative control group of truly healthy controls (i.e. have not presented any neurological or psychiatric symptoms), which is crucial for drawing accurate conclusions. OBJECTIVE Sub-study 1 aims to collect CSF from individuals with AUD across various ages to analyze brain molecules that contribute to the development and maintenance of the disease. Sub-study 2 aims to gather CSF from healthy controls across various ages to study molecules involved in neurological and psychiatric conditions, including AUD, substance dependency, brain inflammation, and narcolepsy. The goal is to create a reference group of CSF from healthy controls for comparison with CSF collected from individuals with the aforementioned conditions. We hypothesize that levels of certain molecules, such as dopamine, differ between healthy controls and those with e.g. AUD. This study may provide insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying brain disorders, which is in turn crucial for developing new, effective treatments. Sub-study 3 will examine how the incubation of nerve cells in CSF collected in sub-study 1 and 2 affects their excitability and ability to form new synapses, essential for communication in the brain. We hypothesize that the excitability and synaptogenesis of nerve cells will vary depending on whether they are incubated in CSF from neurologically and psychiatrically healthy individuals versus those with AUD, substance use disorders, brain inflammation, and narcolepsy. Understanding how CSF composition influences brain function in these conditions could be instrumental in creating new therapeutic drugs. METHODS Individuals with AUD, as well as psychiatrically and neurologically healthy volunteers, will be successively recruited for CSF collection and analyses. Recruitment will be performed through media advertisements and posters within healthcare facilities (The Sahlgrenska University Hospital) and the University of Gothenburg. Additional participants will be recruited from parallel research projects performed within the group (IV-ASA BO10 dnr: 2019-04120, COMB BO8 dnr 431-18, GlycinA BO5 dnr 806-14, PI Bo Söderpalm and NordAlc BO9 dnr: 430-18, PI Andrea de Bejczy) CSF will be obtained through lumbar puncture (spinal tap), a procedure where a thin needle is inserted below the end of the spinal cord. Local anesthesia will be administered in order to mitigate potential discomfort. The lumbar puncture will be performed by an experienced physician, minimizing the risk of injury. Blood samples will also be collected to correlate molecule levels in CSF with those in the blood. Participants will be interviewed about their medical history including their alcohol consumption, and a comprehensive medical examination will be performed. SIGNIFICANCE CSF studies offers unique insights into the cellular and molecular processes within the brain. This approach has been utilized for exploring the mechanisms behind several psychiatric and neurological disorders, but not for certain brain diseases like AUD. AUD inflicts significant suffering for affected individuals, contributes to high mortality rates, and imposes considerable burdens on the society. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of brain diseases such as AUD, can facilitate the development of novel, more effective medications for its treatment.