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Alcohol Use DisorderPhase 4NCT02735577

Neural Mechanisms of Disulfiram Effects

A Phase 4 study testing Disulfiram in people with Alcohol Use Disorder, run by New York State Psychiatric Institute 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

This study combines functional MRI with medication treatment in order to understand the neural mechanisms by which disulfiram, a currently approved medication for alcohol use disorder, changes behavior. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 to 60 years
Conditions the study is for
Alcohol Use Disorder
What is being tested?
Disulfiram
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
7 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Mar 2016to 16 Oct 2020
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 21 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Between the ages of 21-60
  • Right-handed
  • Capable of giving informed consent and complying with study procedures
  • Reports drinking a minimum of 5 standard drinks for men or 4 standard drinks for women on at least 4 days per week on average over the past 28 days
  • Meets DSM-V criteria for current Alcohol Use Disorder
  • Seeking treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
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  • Agree to not seek additional treatment, apart from Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Willing to attempt to abstain from alcohol completely for the duration of the study
  • Willing to be hospitalized on a research unit for 24 hours, longer if detoxification is needed.

Who cannot join

  • Risk of severe alcohol withdrawal (e.g. history of seizures or delirium tremens)
  • Current Moderate or Severe Substance Use Disorder, other than Alcohol, Nicotine or Caffeine Use Disorders
  • Lifetime history of Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Any current psychiatric disorder, other than Alcohol Use Disorder, that, in the judgment of the investigator, will require treatment that will interfere with study participation.
  • Current severe depression (HAM-D >24) or anxiety (HAM-A >24)
  • Significant suicide or violence risk
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  • Currently taking any psychotropic medications
  • Legally mandated to participate in treatment
  • History of prior treatment with disulfiram
  • Sufficiently socially unstable as to preclude participation (e.g. homeless)
  • Contraindications to disulfiram treatment (liver disease, kidney disease, cardiac disease, seizure disorder, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy or lactation, allergy to disulfiram or thiuran derivatives)
  • Neurological or medical conditions that would interfere with MRI scanning (e.g. history of stroke, seizure, brain tumor, brain infection, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, dementia, metal device in body, pregnancy, claustrophobia, color blindness, severe hearing impairment, weight>300 lbs., wheelchair-bound)
  • Currently taking medications containing alcohol, metronidazole, isoniazid, paraldehyde, phenytoin, warfarin, or theophylline.
  • Significant alcohol withdrawal (CIWA>8) at screening, after confirming a blood alcohol level of zero.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • NYPInstitute

    New York, New York, 10032

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Disulfiram Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

This study combines functional MRI with medication treatment in order to understand the neural mechanisms by which disulfiram, a currently approved medication for alcohol use disorder, changes behavior. Disulfiram is a medication that prevents drinking by causing a highly unpleasant physical reaction when alcohol is consumed while it is being taken. Thus, it provides a means for studying the general neural mechanisms by which awareness of risks impacts behavior change in alcohol use disorder.

Read the detailed description

The overall goal of this project is to combine functional brain imaging and clinical methods in order to examine how treatment with disulfiram (DIS) alters neural activity related to alcohol-seeking motivation in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). DIS is an established, effective, FDA-approved medication for AUD that causes a highly aversive physical reaction if alcohol is consumed while it is being taken. The mere awareness of the risk or threat the DIS-alcohol reaction deters alcohol use, i.e. it is not necessary to drink alcohol while taking DIS to change behavior. By uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying this risk/threat-based psychological effect, it will be possible to integrate DIS with biologically based treatments targeted at these neural mechanisms, with the goal of improving the efficacy of DIS. Furthermore, the results will shed light on the general neural mechanisms by which awareness of risks of substance use impacts addictive motivation. This is a core process in a number of behavioral treatments for substance use disorders, such as Motivational Interviewing and Contingency Management, as well as in behavior change in non-treatment settings.

Being tested
Disulfiram
Keywords
Alcohol, Craving, Functional MRI, Cognitive control, Risky decision-making, Disulfiram
Medical subject headings
Alcoholism

What participants receive

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

  • DisulfiramDrug

    Also called Antabuse

    Patients will be hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit for 1-7 days to initiate abstinence. An fMRI scan will be performed to examine neural mechanisms of alcohol motivation. Prior to discharge, patients will receive the first dose of disulfiram 500 mg. They will then attend an outpatient clinic every other day for 14 days. At each clinic visit, they will receive 500 mg of disulfiram under supervision. Another fMRI scan examining alcohol motivation will be performed. Following this, all patients will attend the clinic weekly, and will be prescribed disulfiram 250 mg daily to take at home. This will be followed followed by an optional extension of weekly visits taking disulfiram 250 mg daily for another 28 days, for a total of 70 days of disulfiram treatment.

Study groups in NCT02735577
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
DisulfiramExperimentalPatients in this arm will receive disulfiram 250 mg daily for a total of 40 days.
Receives: Drug: Disulfiram

What is being measured

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

  1. Alcohol Use

    Number of drinking days

    Measured: 42 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted12 Apr 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startMar 2016
  3. Primary completion31 Oct 2019
  4. Study completion16 Oct 2020

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 4
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
7 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02735577
Sponsor's protocol ID
7193
Status last verified
Oct 2020
First submitted
6 Apr 2016
Last updated
23 Nov 2020
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Saifi MA, Shaikh AS, Kaki VR, Godugu C. Disulfiram prevents collagen crosslinking and inhibits renal fibrosis by inhibiting lysyl oxidase enzymes. J Cell Physiol. 2022 May;237(5):2516-2527. doi: 10.1002/jcp.30717. Epub 2022 Mar 13.

    PubMed 35285015

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Disulfiram in people with Alcohol Use Disorder, run by New York State Psychiatric Institute 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 9 inclusion and 14 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 23 Nov 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 23 Nov 2020). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Alcohol Use (time frame: 42 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02735577, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 23 Nov 2020.

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