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Alcohol DependenceNCT02193204

Chronic Alcohol, Stress Inflammatory Response and Relapse Risk

A study testing Personal Stress Imagery and Neutral Imagery in people with Alcohol Dependence and Depressive Symptomatology, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to examine potential stress and immune systems adaptations underlying craving and relapse vulnerability in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals and social drinkers (SDs) with and without high levels of depressive symptomatology (+dep / - dep). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 50 years
Conditions the study is for
Alcohol Dependence, Depressive Symptomatology
What is being tested?
Personal Stress Imagery and Neutral Imagery
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
116 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2011to Jul 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • ADs: Male and females, aged 18-50 years, meeting current DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence consuming more than 25 drinks / week.
  • SDs: Male and females, aged 18-50 years. Must not meet either current or lifetime DSM-IV criteria for alcohol/drug abuse. They must have demonstrated weekly alcohol use over the past year but no more than 25 drinks / month with no occasion of binge drinking (5 or more drinks-men; 4 or more -women).
  • ADs and SDs must self-report depression ratings at levels to match one of the two following groups: a) a score of 20 or above in the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D), or b) a score between 3 -20 on the CES-D
  • Weekly alcohol use as documented by positive urine toxicology screens (AD only).
  • Good health as verified by screening examinations and medical and screening
  • Able to read English and complete study evaluations.
  • All participants must voluntarily provide informed consent and sign the informed consent document.

Who cannot join

  • Meeting current criteria for dependence on another psychoactive substance, excluding nicotine.
  • Having any current Axis I psychiatric disorders and requiring treatment/medication for these conditions.
  • Having significant underlying medical conditions requiring medication.
  • Women who are pregnant or nursing.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • CT Mental Health Center

    New Haven, Connecticut, 06519

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to examine potential stress and immune systems adaptations underlying craving and relapse vulnerability in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals and social drinkers (SDs) with and without high levels of depressive symptomatology (+dep / - dep). Using the investigators experimentally validated guided imagery procedure, the investigators propose to examine the response of brain stress and immune systems to personalized guided stressful imagery using subjective, physiological and neurobiological assessments in 60 healthy controls and 60 alcoholic dependent individuals with and without depressive symptomatology.

Being tested
Personal Stress Imagery, Neutral Imagery
Keywords
Alcohol dependence, Stress, Cytokines, Depressive Symptomatology
Medical subject headings
Alcoholism

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Personal Stress ImageryBehavioural

    The stress imagery script will be based on participants' description of a recent personal event experienced as "most stressful", and determined as such by rating it above 8 on a 10-point stress scale. These may include breakup with a significant other or job-related stress. A 5-minute 'script' of each scenario will be written using Scene Construction Questionnaires where physiological, bodily sensations regarding the event will be obtained. Scripts will then be recorded onto audiotape for guided imagery in the laboratory sessions.

  • Neutral ImageryBehavioural

    The neutral script will be developed from a personal non-alcohol-related relaxing situation. A 5-minute 'script' of each scenario will be written using Scene Construction Questionnaires where physiological, bodily sensations regarding the event will be obtained. Scripts will then be recorded onto audiotape for guided imagery in the laboratory sessions.

Study groups in NCT02193204
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Social Drinkers Depressive SymptomsExperimental30 non-dependent light socially drinking (SD) smokers with depressive symptoms will be recruited to participate in two laboratory sessions (Stress and Neutral / Relaxing). This arm will be exposed to both the personal stress imagery and neutral imagery interventions.
Receives: Behavioral: Personal Stress Imagery; Behavioral: Neutral Imagery
Social Drinkers No Depressive SymptomsExperimental30 non-dependent light socially drinking (SD) smokers without depressive symptoms will be recruited to participate in two laboratory sessions (Stress and Neutral / Relaxing). This arm will be exposed to both the personal stress imagery and neutral imagery interventions.
Receives: Behavioral: Personal Stress Imagery; Behavioral: Neutral Imagery
Alcohol Dependent, Non-DepressiveExperimental30 treatment-engaged 28-day abstinent, alcohol dependent (AD) smokers, without Depressive symptoms. All AD subjects will either be admitted to the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (CNRU) of the Connecticut Mental Health Center for five weeks of inpatient stay and study participation (inpatient), or they will be scheduled for a two night stay on the CNRU following 3 weeks of abstinence (outpatient). This arm will be exposed to both the personal stress imagery and neutral imagery interventions.
Receives: Behavioral: Personal Stress Imagery; Behavioral: Neutral Imagery
Alchohol Dependent Depressive SymptomsExperimental30 treatment-engaged 28-day abstinent, alcohol dependent smokers with depressive symptoms. All AD subjects will either be admitted to the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (CNRU) of the Connecticut Mental Health Center for five weeks of inpatient stay and study participation (inpatient), or they will be scheduled for a two night stay on the CNRU following 3 weeks of abstinence (outpatient). This arm will be exposed to both the personal stress imagery and neutral imagery interventions.
Receives: Behavioral: Personal Stress Imagery; Behavioral: Neutral Imagery

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. cytokine levels

    At each of the six time-points (-25, -5, +5, +15, +30, +45), serum cytokine concentrations of IL-6, TNFa, TNFR1, IL-10, IL1-ra, IL-4, IL1beta, and IL-12 will be collected. Levels will be determined by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assays using the DuoSet ELISA Development Kit from R\&D systems (Minneapolis, MN, USA). Plasma Cortisol and ACTH levels will also be colected and assays will be measured using standard radioimmunoassay procedures.

    Measured: Day 1 and 2, (-25, -5, +5, +15, +30, +45)

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Alcohol Craving

    Participants will rate their desire to have an alcoholic drink as well as how anxious they feel at that moment using a10-point visual analog scale (VAS).

    Measured: Day 14, Day 30 and Day 90

  2. Anxiety and Negative Mood

    Differential Emotion Scale - DES (Izard, 1972): Subjects are required to rate on a 5-point scale the extent to which an emotional word (item) describes the way s/he feels at the current time. Data is collapsed into subscales: anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, joy, and relaxed state.

    Measured: Day 14, Day 30 and Day 90

  3. Alcohol Relapse

    Relapse will be defined as a dichotomous variable and any alcohol use during the ninety days post discharge will be coded as relapse.

    Measured: 14, 30 and 90 day follow-ups

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted17 Jul 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2011
  3. Primary completionJul 2015
  4. Study completionJul 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
116 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02193204
Sponsor's protocol ID
1111009349
Other IDs
1R01AA02009501A
Status last verified
Mar 2020
First submitted
15 Jul 2014
Last updated
6 Mar 2020
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Personal Stress Imagery and Neutral Imagery in people with Alcohol Dependence and Depressive Symptomatology, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Mar 2020. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

cytokine levels (time frame: Day 1 and 2, (-25, -5, +5, +15, +30, +45)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Mar 2020; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

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