Pain sensitivity, alcohol analgesia, and heavy drinking in people with opioid use disorder

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

This project will compare pain responses and how alcohol affects pain relief in three groups: people with opioid use disorder who drink heavily, people with opioid use disorder who don’t drink heavily, and people who drink heavily but don’t have opioid use disorder. Researchers will measure pain sensitivity when sober and after alcohol intake to see if pain signals or alcohol’s analgesic effects help drive heavy drinking. The study will use a combination of controlled tasks and standardized pain and alcohol tests to explore potential mechanisms. The goal is to identify factors that could be targeted to reduce co-use and improve treatment outcomes for OUD and AUD.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Ohio State University
  Columbus, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Gorka, Stephanie — Ohio State University
• Study coordinator: Gorka, Stephanie

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

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About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.