Improving treatment for alcohol use disorder and co-occurring anxiety or depression
Developing and Evaluating a Positive Valence Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder with Anxiety or Depression
This project explores a new behavioral approach to help people manage alcohol use disorder alongside anxiety or depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Laureate Institute for Brain Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tulsa, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11092721 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Current treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) often don't work well long-term, especially for those also experiencing anxiety and depression. These conditions often share a problem with the "positive valence system," which affects how we experience pleasure and reward from non-drug activities. This project is developing a new behavioral therapy called Amplification of Positivity (AMP-A) to strengthen this system. AMP-A aims to increase your exposure and responsiveness to everyday, non-drug rewards. The goal is to refine this therapy to better help individuals with both AUD and anxiety/depression.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Individuals seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder who also experience clinically significant anxiety or depression symptoms would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients whose alcohol use disorder is not accompanied by anxiety or depression, or who are not seeking behavioral therapy, may not directly benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this new therapy could offer a more effective way for individuals with co-occurring AUD, anxiety, and depression to achieve long-term recovery and improved well-being.
How similar studies have performed: The core intervention (AMP) has shown promise in increasing positive emotions and improving brain responses to rewards in individuals with anxiety and depression, and a pilot study for AUD with anxiety/depression has been completed.
Where this research is happening
Tulsa, United States
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research — Tulsa, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aupperle, Robin L — Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Study coordinator: Aupperle, Robin L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.