Translational Underpinnings of Motivation for Alcohol in Humans
University of California, Los Angeles
Summary
The goal of this translational study is to understand different reasons why people between the ages of 21 and 65 with alcohol use disorder are motivated to self-administer alcohol. The main questions it aims to answer are: * How does a person's desire for a reward affect their motivation to self-administer alcohol? * How does a person's emotions affect their motivation to self-administer alcohol? * How does a person's cognitive functioning affect their motivation to self-administer alcohol? Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires about their mood, habits, and functioning and will complete an IV alcohol administration that will include pressing a button to receive additional doses of IV alcohol.
Description
This study combines alcohol challenge and progressive ratio self-administration methodologies to test the effects of each of the three dimensions of the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA) on motivation for alcohol use. The experimental design consists of a translational study in which 210 individuals with current AUD (mild-to-severe) will complete an intravenous (IV) alcohol administration followed by a progressive ratio self-administration paradigm, where participants must press a button a number of times to receive an infusion of alcohol. All participants will be phenotyped for the th…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 21–65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: To be included in the study, participants must: 1. Be between the ages of 21 and 65 2. Have self-reported alcohol use in the past 30 days 3. Meet current (i.e., past 12 months) DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder mild-to-severe Exclusion Criteria: To be included in the study, participants must not: 1. Currently be treatment seeking, in treatment for alcohol use, or have a history of treatment in the 30 days prior to consent 2. Have current (last 12 months) DSM-5 diagnosis of substance use disorder for any psychoactive substances other than alcohol and ni…
Interventions
- DrugIntravenous Alcohol
Participants will receive intravenous alcohol (6% ethanol v/v in saline; obtained from the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Investigational Drug Service) over the course of an alcohol challenge. During the challenge, participants will be administered alcohol designed to reach target BrACs of 20, 40, and 60 mg%, each over 15 min. After reaching the last target BrAC (0.06 g/dl) participants will complete a self-administration (SA) paradigm. Participants will be invited to work (button press) for alcohol according to a log-linear progressive ratio schedule.
Location
- University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California