Kappa-PET Imaging and Naltrexone in Alcohol Drinking Behaviors

August 8, 2022 updated by: Yale University
The primary purpose of the study is to increase our knowledge of receptor function in the brains of people who are heavy drinkers and taking naltrexone (NTX), a medication that has been approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Receptors are special molecules in the brain to which other molecules (neurotransmitters) attach during the normal every-day workings of the brain. Drugs can bind to those receptor molecules as well. Recent evidence suggests that kappa opioid receptors (KOR's) may play an important role in alcohol drinking behavior. This study will try to determine if naltrexone's ability to attach to these receptors is related to its effectiveness. We will use PET (positron emission tomography) for this study. PET is a type of imaging device found in nuclear medicine. It is used for tracking the presence of injected radioactive materials in the body.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

59

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519
        • Sac, Cmhc

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

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 50 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ages 21-50
  • Able to read English at 6th grade level or higher and to complete study evaluations
  • Regular alcohol drinker

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who are seeking alcohol treatment
  • Medical conditions that would contraindicate the use of study medication
  • Regular use of other substances

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: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: NA
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Naltrexone
Naltrexone 100 mg titrated over one week
Other Names:
  • Revia

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Occupancy of KOR by NTX and Drinking
Time Frame: 6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone
To determine the degree to which occupancy of KORs by a 100 mg/day dose of NTX mediates (influences the strength of) responsivity to NTX treatment in all heavy drinkers.
6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone
Relationship Between NTX Responsivity and Occupancy of KOR
Time Frame: 6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone
To determine whether the relationship between NTX responsivity and occupancy of KOR is different in family history positive vs. family history negative heavy drinkers. Evaluations were done with a logistic regression which included years of drinking (a covariate), family history status, and occupancy of KOR. The logistic model calculated a probability of response, defined as a 50% or greater reduction in drinking after naltrexone, for every participant. Reported outcome is the area under the ROC produced by the model. The closer the value is to 100 percent probability, the better the model is at correctly classifying the observations.
6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Baseline KOR Differences
Time Frame: at baseline prior to treatment with naltrexone
To determine if baseline levels of KOR differ between family history positive (FHP) and family history negative (FHN) heavy drinkers and to determine if baseline KOR level is related to either baseline drinking or responsivity to NTX.
at baseline prior to treatment with naltrexone

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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

February 1, 2011

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

June 30, 2021

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

June 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 19, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 19, 2012

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 21, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

August 10, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 8, 2022

Last Verified

August 1, 2022

More Information

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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