Effects of alcohol on stress and brain chemistry

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study investigates how alcohol consumption influences stress responses and the body's chemistry, particularly focusing on the hormone cortisol. Using a novel technique called Deuterium Metabolic Imaging (DMI), researchers will measure brain acetate consumption while participants undergo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to assess brain chemistry. Participants will also have their drinking behaviors, stress levels, and cortisol measurements evaluated to understand the relationships between these factors. The goal is to identify more effective strategies for reducing harmful drinking behaviors.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
* Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
* Medically stable male or female, aged 18-55.
* Able to read, write and complete a multitude of self-assessments in English
* Meets DSM-5 criteria for current Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
* Participants who have Alcohol Use Disorder and are actively drinking must be willing to receive (at no cost) inpatient treatment for AUD for a period of up to 30 days. Participants who have been treated for an Alcohol Use Disorder and are now sober three months or longer will NOT be required to go inpatient.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Subjects with any significant current medical conditions (neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, thyroid, renal, liver), seizures (for LTS subjects only- seizures directly related to alcohol detoxification are not an exclusion) , delirium or hallucinations, or other unstable medical conditions, including HIV.
* Current DSM-5 substance use disorder (other than AUD or tobacco use disorder)
* Any metallic objects implanted in their body which would make imaging unsafe (pacemaker, etc)
* Claustrophobia, or other inability to participate in an MRI
* A positive test result at intake appointment and subsequent appointments on urine drug screens conducted for illicit drugs. (Note: participants will not be paid for study visits if they test positive for an illicit drug and will be immediately excluded from study).
* Women who are pregnant or nursing. Women who have an IUD that would make imaging unsafe.
* Recent taking of medications that may influence study outcomes (e.g., disulfiram, naltrexone, acamprosate, anticonvulsants).
* Subjects likely to exhibit clinically significant alcohol withdrawal during the study.

Where it's running

• The Anlyan Center, 300 Cedar St.
  New Haven, Connecticut, United States Recruiting
• Yale University
  New Haven, Connecticut, United States Not yet recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Graeme Mason, Ph.D. — Yale University
• Study coordinator: Graeme Mason, Ph.D.
• Email: graeme.mason@yale.edu
• Phone: 203-737-1478

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Emotional Reactivity in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder and Depression Using Eye-Tracking and Physiological Measures

  This study tests how people with severe alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder, both conditions, or neither, recognize and react to emotions using eye-tracking and physiological data.

  Recruiting Université Catholique de Louvain · Brussels, Belgium · NCT07925281

• Thiamine to reduce brain injury in adults with alcohol use disorder

  This trial tests whether thiamine can help protect the brain in adults with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder who drink daily.

  Recruiting Phase 2 Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France · Paris, Île-de-France Region · NCT07844720

• Digital Recovery Support for Black adults with Alcohol Use Disorder in Detroit

  This study tests whether a smartphone-based digital recovery program helps Black or African American adults in Detroit maintain their recovery from alcohol use disorder.

  Recruiting Brandeis University · Detroit, Michigan · NCT07724275

• Path180: a computer-based skills program to help teens reduce alcohol use

  This 8-week trial tests Path180, a computer-based skills training, added to usual care for teens 13–19 with alcohol use disorder to see if it improves daily-life coping skills and outcomes.

  Recruiting Brown University · Providence, Rhode Island · NCT07713251

• Effects of comorbidity on people with severe mental illness

  This study tests how having both alcohol/substance use and a severe mental illness affects hospitalizations, medications, and social participation among adults followed at a mental health center.

  Recruiting Abant Izzet Baysal University · Bolu, Bolu · NCT07692984

• Psilocybin in Alcohol Use Disorder with Depression (Relapse Prevention)

  This study tests whether higher-dose psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy helps prevent relapse in adults with severe alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms after detox.

  Recruiting Phase 3 Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes · Bayonne and 7 other locations · NCT07638553

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.