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Motivation for IV Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans

Translational Underpinnings of Motivation for Alcohol in Humans

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06494891
Enrollment
210
Registered
2024-07-10
Start date
2024-01-16
Completion date
2027-06-30
Last updated
2026-05-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

Brief 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.

Detailed 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 three dimensions of the ANA, including incentive salience, negative emotionality, and executive dysfunction. For these models, the primary outcome in the progressive ratio self-administration paradigm will be: (a) breakpoint (i.e., the point in the progressive ratio model at which the participant stops button presses for alcohol) and (b) peak BrAC (i.e., the highest level of BrAC reached in the trial). At baseline and after the target BrAC of 0.06 g/dl in the alcohol challenge component of the paradigm, participants will report on (a) alcohol craving, (b) negative mood, and (c) loss of control over drinking. All participants will provide blood samples at baseline and at target BrAC =0.06 g/dl for analyses of the proposed exploratory biomarkers of HPA axis activation (ACTH, cortisol) and inflammation (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, CRP). The successful completion of this project will advance translational science of AUD by testing the ANA framework within a conceptually rich and valid translational task of motivation for alcohol in humans. Advanced data analytic methods (i.e., machine learning) and careful attention to AUD severity as a marker to AUD stage, will result in clinically useful findings that can inform AUD assessment, treatment, and biomarker development.

Interventions

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.

Sponsors

University of California, Los Angeles
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

All participants will receive intravenous alcohol.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 65 Years
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 nicotine 3. Have a lifetime DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any other psychotic disorder 4. Have current suicidal ideation or lifetime history of suicide attempt as reported on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) 5. Have a positive urine screen for drugs other than cannabis 6. Be pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant while taking part in the study; and must agree to one of the following methods of birth control (if female), unless she or partner are surgically sterile: * Oral contraceptives * Contraceptive sponge * Patch * Double barrier * Intrauterine contraceptive device * Etonogestrel implant * Medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection * Hormonal vaginal contraceptive ring * Complete abstinence from sexual intercourse 7. Have clinically significant abnormalities identified in the physical exam that may interfere with safe study participation (e.g. unstable cardiac, renal, or liver disease; diabetes; uncontrolled hypertension; or HIV) 8. Exceed Grade 2 laboratory abnormalities, based on FDA Guidance Document "Toxicity Grading Scale for Healthy Adult and Adolescent Volunteers Enrolled in Preventive Vaccine Clinical Trials" 9. Currently use any medications known to interact with alcohol, including: antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, benzodiazepines, medications for diabetes, and medications that affect alcohol metabolism 10. Have an intense fear of needles or have had adverse reactions to needle puncture 11. Have any other circumstances that, in the opinion of the investigators, would not be a good fit for study participation

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Incentive Salience, Craving, and Self-Administration10 hoursScores on the incentive salience factor of the ANA will correlate with craving during the challenge and self-administration during the progressive ratio.
Negative Emotionality, Negative Mood, and Self-Administration10 hoursScores on the negative emotionality factor of the ANA will correlate with relief from negative mood during the challenge and self-administration during the progressive ratio.
Executive Dysfunction, Loss of Control, and Self-Administration10 hoursScores on the executive dysfunction factor of the ANA will correlate with loss of control during the challenge and self-administration during the progressive ratio.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTJessica Jenkins, MS
jenkinsj@ucla.edu310-206-6756
CONTACTErica Grodin, PhD
egrodin@psych.ucla.edu310-206-6756

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 2, 2026