Brain Responses to Contextual Influences on Drinking Decisions

November 13, 2025 updated by: University of Kansas Medical Center
This study is using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activity associated with making decisions about drinking alcohol in everyday situations, some of which may involve important activities happening the next day. The secondary aims are to determine whether severity of alcohol-related problems is related to brain activity and alcohol choices and to examine how different areas of the brain interact in connected networks.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The overall objective of this study is to examine brain activity associated with making decisions about drinking alcohol in everyday situations, some of which may involve important activities happening the next day. The secondary aims are to determine whether severity of alcohol-related problems is related to brain activity and alcohol choices and to examine how different areas of the brain interact in connected networks. The study involves two testing sessions -- a baseline interview conducted virtually or in-person, and a MRI scanning session at University of Kansas Medical Center. Participants (N=80, 50% female, age 21-55) are community adults who report drinking alcohol in excess of NIAAA-recommended weekly drinking limits (i.e., heavy drinkers who consume 14/7+ drinks per week for men/women). Participants will complete hypothetical alcohol purchase tasks during the MRI scan with two conditions being examined. A control condition involves a typical drinking situation with no explicit responsibilities. An experimental condition involves a hypothetical situation with important personally-relevant responsibilities the next day (e.g., a presentation at work, an exam, or caregiving responsibilities).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
52

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Michael Amlung, PhD
  • Phone Number: 785.864.0334
  • Email: mamlung@ku.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Kansas
      • Lawrence, Kansas, United States, 66045
        • Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

17 years to 51 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. 21-55 years of age;
  2. current heavy alcohol drinking in the past three months, as indicated by reporting consumption of 14 or more drinks per week for men or 7 or more drinks per week for women and at least one heavy drinking episode weekly (5+/4+ drinks in a single occasion for males/females);
  3. belong to a category with significant responsibilities, such as being currently employed, a current student, or a caregiver with significant responsibilities;
  4. speak English;
  5. normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing;
  6. able to give informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. currently engaged in treatment or seeking treatment for alcohol-related problems;
  2. major psychiatric illness (psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder);
  3. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version-5 substance use disorder (except nicotine);
  4. attending any in-person session with a positive breath alcohol concentration (BrAC > 0.00%);
  5. any contraindications for MRI scanning (e.g., metal in body surgically or accidentally including pacemaker, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, shrapnel, etc.);
  6. history of seizures or anti-seizure medication;
  7. history of concussion or other significant brain injury;
  8. serious medical illness unsuitable for the MRI scanner based on best clinical judgment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Responsibility vs No Responsibility
Within-subjects experimental manipulation of responsibility vs. no-responsibility condition
Behavioral: Responsibility condition
During the fMRI scan, participants will complete alcohol purchase task paradigm for hypothetical alcohol rewards under two conditions. In the next-day responsibility condition, we will present a vignette describing a drinking scenario in which participants have a significant activity the next day (e.g., a work, family, or academic obligation the next morning) and participants are asked to imagine they are deciding how much they want to drink in this situation. The control condition will use a vignette describing a typical drinking scenario with no explicit responsibilities the next day

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Alcohol demand
Time Frame: During 1 hour MRI scan
Participants will report how many standard drinks they would consume at varying prices using a hypothetical Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) procedure. The APT is a validated self-report measure of alcohol consumption (in standard drink units) at escalating prices (18 price intervals, ranging from $0 to $80/drink). Responses on APT are analyzed to generate observed and derived indices of alcohol demand, including: intensity (consumption at free price); breakpoint (maximum price for spent for a single drink); Omax (maximum expenditure on alcohol); and Elasticity (proportionate slope of the alcohol demand curve)
During 1 hour MRI scan
Brain activation
Time Frame: During 1 hour MRI scan
Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging
During 1 hour MRI scan

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Kansas Medical Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Kansas

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Michael Amlung, PhD, University of Kansas

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 12, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 12, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 20, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 14, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY00147117

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

After the study is complete, the researchers are encouraged by NIH funding guidelines to deposit de-identified fMRI data and associated baseline data into a public access archive such as NeuroVault, a secure repository where researchers can publicly store and share unthresholded statistical maps, parcellations, and atlases produced by fMRI studies. The investigators will take all necessary steps to ensure that only de-identified data is made publicly available.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be posted at conclusion of study

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be publicly available to researchers who create an account on neurovault.org

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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