Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with the greatest loss of dopamine transmission due to cocaine dependence at pre-treatment PET and MRI scans will be those who fail to respond to substance abuse treatment. This study will also determine whether patients who do respond to treatment will experience a recovery of dopamine function.


Clinical Trial Description

Previous studies have shown that cocaine dependence is associated with a decrease in dopamine release in response to a psychostimulant challenge. We have recently completed a study demonstrating that this loss of pre-synaptic dopamine function is associated with the choice to self-administer cocaine in the presence of an alternative reinforcer. This finding consistent with animal models of reinforcement and which show that dopamine transmission serves to modulate reward based behavior, and in this case, allows for a more adaptive response to be made in the presence of a competing reinforcer.

The previous study was performed in non-treatment seeking cocaine dependent subjects using an inpatient laboratory model to measure the choice for cocaine. Thus, the goal of the present proposal is to investigate this association in a more realistic setting where cocaine dependent out patients face the choice between using cocaine and the alternative reinforcers presented to them in a therapeutic setting. The Community Reinforcement Approach with voucher incentives is a treatment for cocaine dependence that has been shown success in a number of controlled studies. Since the basis of this therapy is to reduce the reinforcing value of cocaine by increasing the density of alternative, healthy reinforcers, we have chosen to correlate outcome from this treatment with measures of presynaptic dopamine function. We propose to scan cocaine dependent patients with [11C]raclopride and oral methylphenidate in order to measure dopamine release. Patients will be scanned before treatment and at 12 weeks into therapy. We predict that the patients with the greatest loss of dopamine transmission at the pre-treatment scan will be those who fail to respond to treatment. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the patients who do respond to treatment will experience a recovery of dopamine function, measured at the post-treatment scan.

In addition, subjects enrolled in this study will undergo fMRI and spectroscopy studies in order to asses differences in neuronal integrity, learning, and impulse control. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT00376558
Study type Interventional
Source National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Contact Rochelle Amurao
Phone 1212-923-3031
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT04994821 - tDCS to Reduce Craving in Cocaine Addiction- Phase 2 Study Phase 2
Completed NCT01601743 - Exercise as a Behavioral Treatment for Cocaine Dependence N/A
Completed NCT01402492 - Cocaine Use Reduction With Buprenorphine Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT01176591 - HBPL Study of the Impact of the NK1 Antagonist Aprepitant Phase 2
Completed NCT00880997 - The Efficacy of Doxazosin for Cocaine Users Phase 1
Completed NCT00566969 - Cocaine Withdrawal and Pharmacotherapy Response N/A
Completed NCT00585520 - Sex Differences in Progesterone Effects on Responses to Stress and Drug Cues Phase 1
Completed NCT00368290 - Modafinil Treatment for Cocaine Dependence and HIV High-Risk Behavior Phase 2
Completed NCT00322309 - Efficacy of Mirtazapine in Depressed Cocaine Dependent Subjects Phase 2
Completed NCT00385801 - Study of the Effects of Risperdal Consta on Brain Reward Circuitry Function, Craving and Cocaine Use in Active Cocaine Dependence Phase 2
Completed NCT00842517 - Long Term Maintenance of Drug Abstinence Phase 1
Completed NCT00167245 - Topiramate for Alcohol and Cocaine Dependence Phase 2
Not yet recruiting NCT05974202 - rTMS and Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Cocaine Use Disorder Phase 2
Completed NCT04411914 - Pharmaco-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) Study of Clavulanic Acid Phase 1
Active, not recruiting NCT03266939 - Rebalancing the Serotonergic System in Cocaine Dependence Phase 1
Completed NCT02563769 - Clavulanic Acid (CLAV) and Cocaine Interaction Safety Study Phase 1
Recruiting NCT06159387 - Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Cannabis Extract x Placebo for Cocaine Addicts Phase 4
Terminated NCT02935101 - Effects of Glucocorticoids on Craving During Detoxification Treatment of Heroin and/or Stimulants Phase 2
Completed NCT02018263 - Validation of a Remote Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Approach to the Individualized Detection of Cocaine Use in Humans Phase 1
Completed NCT01573273 - Oxytocin in Cocaine Dependence N/A