Healthy Adult Participants
Conditions
Keywords
Older adults, alcohol drinkers, cognition
Brief summary
This is a proof-of-concept study exploring individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol among older healthy current drinkers aged 65 to 80. Participants will complete two sessions during which they will complete questionnaires and laboratory measures of mental abilities and brain activity and receive a beverage that may or may not contain a moderate dose of alcohol.
Detailed description
As a preliminary, proof-of-concept study, the project is designed to provide information regarding variability in response to a moderate dose of alcohol among healthy men and women who are current drinkers and aged 65 to 80. It is expected that approximately 75 individuals will complete the study. Participants complete two laboratory sessions. Each session will include consuming a beverage that may or may not include alcohol. If the beverage does include alcohol, the volume will not exceed the amount that a drinker might consume in 1 to 2 drinks. The outcomes will provide information regarding the how older adults vary in their response to alcohol and explore whether alcohol sensitivity is related to selected measures of cognition.
Interventions
OTHERAlcohol (Oral)
Described elsewhere
OTHERPlacebo Control
on each of two visits, participants receive either the placebo drink or the drinking containing alcohol
Sponsors
University of Florida
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Alcohol Drinkers who consume alcohol on a regular basis * No history of significant substance misuse * at least 12 years of education or GED equivalence
Exclusion criteria
* current Cigarette smoker * Type 1 Diabetes or uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes * Epilepsy * Neurodegenerative disorder * Significant psychiatric disorder such as a psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, current major depression or PTSD
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol Effects on Psychomotor Skills as reflected in the Trail Making Test (TMT) | The placebo and alcohol sessions occur ~ 10-14 days apart. | Difference between the number of seconds required to complete the TMT under placebo vs the alcohol condition for each individual |
| Alcohol Effects on a Working Memory Task requiring Continuous Recognition | The placebo and alcohol sessions occur ~ 10-14 days apart. | Differences in accuracy in identifying previously seen vs. new items a working memory task under alcohol vs placebo conditions for each individual |
| Alcohol Effects on Neural Activity Measured from Scalp Electroencephalography | The alcohol and placebo sessions occur ~ 10-14 days apart. | Differences in neural activity as reflected obtained through non-invasive electroencephalography under alcohol vs placebo conditions for each individual |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation between alcohol sensitivity and standard cognitive assessment | The general measure of cognitive abilities is obtained in the first session, prior to the experimental condition. The difference scores are derived by comparing outcomes between alcohol vs placebo sessions which are ~ 10-14 days apart. | Correlations between differences under alcohol vs placebo conditions for the psychomotor task, the working memory task, the measure of neural activity and performance on a general measure of cognitive abilities |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTSara Jo Nixon, PhD
CONTACTBen Lewis, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSara Jo Nixon, PhD
University of Florida
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBen Lewis, PhD
University of Florida
Outcome results
None listed