View clinical trials related to Alcohol Drinking.
Filter by:The prefrontal cortex, although well established as an efficacious target for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), has recently come into favour as a therapeutic target for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Depressive symptoms are also highly prevalent in individuals with AUD. A number of cognitive and psychological processes stemming from the prefrontal cortex, a common treatment target for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), are disrupted in both MDD and AUD. The proposed study will enhance the development of theta burst stimulation (TBS) as a new intervention for AUD in the context of depressive symptoms and uses integrated TMS-EEG to identify neurophysiological targets of executive dysfunction in this disorder.
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.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test the prosocial effects of personally-relevant, high-intensity episodic future-thinking (EFT) cues in alcohol use disorder persons and related brain mechanisms. The main question[s] this trial aims to answer are: - Will high-intensity EFT cues will produce greater delayed reward preference than low-intensity cues? - Will high-intensity EFT cues effect greater treatment-seeking interest? - Will high-intensity EFT cues elicit greater response in regions for prospective thinking during delay discounting (vs. low-intensity) - Will nucleus accumbens-precuneus resting connectivity correlate with behavioral SS? - Will the novel behavioral SS decision-making task activate the nucleus accumbens? Researchers will compare the experimental (high-intensity group) and control (low-intensity) groups to see if there are differences in the results for the questions outlined above.
Chronic pain and heavy drinking are common co-occurring conditions among patients presenting to primary care settings. Given their impact on functioning and medical outcomes, there would be considerable benefit to developing an accessible, easily utilized, integrative approach to reduce alcohol use and pain that can be readily incorporated into the health care settings. The objective of this study is to test a modified version of a smartphone-based intervention for reducing pain and alcohol use among individuals experiencing chronic pain who engage in heavy drinking. The primary goal is to test the feasibility and acceptability of implementing this intervention in a sample that includes participants from rural areas and providing initial data on the utility of the intervention.
The U.S. Deaf community - a group of more than 500,000 Americans who communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) - experiences nearly triple the rate of lifetime problem drinking and twice the rate of trauma exposure compared to the general population. Although there are several treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in hearing populations, none have been developed for or tested with Deaf clients. To address these barriers, the study team developed Signs of Safety, a Deaf-accessible therapy toolkit for treating AUD and PTSD. Their aims are to conduct a nationwide, virtual clinical trial to compare (1) Signs of Safety with (2) treatment as usual and (3) a no treatment control, to collect data on clinical outcomes, and to explore potential mediators and moderators of outcome.
Background: Chronic heavy drinking can cause alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD changes how the brain works. People with AUD may drink compulsively or feel like they cannot control their alcohol use. Acamprosate is an FDA-approved drug that reduces anxiety and craving in some, but not all, people with AUD. Objective: To learn more about how acamprosate affects brain function in people with AUD. Eligibility: People aged 21 to 65 years with moderate to severe AUD. Design: Participants will stay in the clinic for 21 days after a detoxification period of approximately 7 days. Acamprosate is a capsule taken by mouth. Half of participants will take this drug 3 times a day with meals. The other half will take a placebo. The placebo looks like the study drug but does not contain any medicine. Participants will not know which capsules they are taking. Participants will have a procedure called electroencephalography (EEG): A gel will be applied to certain locations on their scalp, and a snug cap will be placed on their head. The cap has sensors with wires. The sensors detect electrical activity in the brain. Participants will lie still and perform 2 tasks: they will look at different shapes and press a button when they see a specific one; and they will listen to tones and press dedicated buttons when they hear the corresponding tones. Participants will have 2 EEGs: 1 on day 2 and 1 on day 23 of their study participation. They may opt to have up to 4 more EEG studies (one on day 13 and one on each of the three follow-up visits) and 2 sleep studies, in which they would have sensors attached to their scalp while they sleep. Participants may have up to three follow-up visits for 6 months.
The overall objective of this program of research is to utilize phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a blood-based biomarker that can detect alcohol use for up to 28 days to deliver a feasible telehealth-based 26-week CM intervention. This study will test a telehealth PEth-based CM model in a sample of adults with AUD (n=200), recruited via online platforms by randomizing individuals to six months of 1) an online cognitive behavioral therapy for AUD (CBT4CBT) and telehealth PEth-based CM (CM condition) or 2) CBT4CBT and reinforcers for submitting blood samples (no abstinence required) (control condition). Investigators will assess group differences in PEth-defined abstinence and regular excessive drinking (PEth >= 200 ng/mL), and alcohol-related harms (e.g., smoking, drug use). This study will address important gaps in CM research by assessing outcomes during a 12-month follow-up, which is much longer than most previous CM studies; using a conceptual model to identify predictors of post-treatment abstinence. Investigators will conduct an economic analysis to place the cost of this model in the context of downstream CM-associated cost-offsets and improvements in personal and public health.
This is a randomized, parallel-group study designed to explore the differences between cannabis intoxication, alcohol intoxication and co-intoxication involving both alcohol and cannabis, utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) as well as more traditional intoxication measures such as breath alcohol concentration and balance metrics. If eligible for the study, participants will be randomized to complete one study session in our mobile laboratory, during which they will use either alcohol, cannabis (which will be self-administered, ad libitum) or both alcohol and cannabis.
During the first funding period (1st FP) we investigated the impact of acute and chronic stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) on Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT). Moreover, we developed a novel full transfer task that allows assessing both general and specific PIT to investigate whether specific PIT differs between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and control subjects. We found that our online version of TSST induced stress and thereby amplified PIT effects in participants. Preliminary analyses of the full transfer task indicate that AUD participants exhibit a stronger specific PIT effect compared to controls. Based on these findings, we want to assess the following aim for this study: Investigate the effect of experimentally induced social exclusion on alcohol-specific and general PIT effects in AUD and control participants.
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare an adaptation of Behavioral Activation, a behavioral intervention, to Relapse Prevention treatment, another behavioral intervention, in a sample of U.S. military veterans with co-occurring alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The primary aims of this study are to: 1. Adapt Behavioral Activation to treat veterans with AUD/PTSD, 2. Evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of Behavioral Activation for AUD/PTSD, and 3. Explore geospatial analysis as a new method for measuring AUD/PTSD recovery. Participants will complete self-report and interview measures immediately before and immediately after treatment. Participants will also be asked to participate in passive geospatial assessment for 14-day periods immediately before and immediately after treatment. Participants will be randomized to treatment condition, which involves 8 sessions of either Behavioral Activation or Relapse Prevention, delivered individually by a trained study therapist.