Learning and Relapse Risk in Alcohol Dependence (LeAD)

July 27, 2016 updated by: Technische Universität Dresden

Learning Mechanisms as Predictors of Treatment Outcome in Alcohol- Dependent Patients

The aim of this project is to assess which behavioral and neuroimaging alterations associated with reward- based learning predict relapse in alcohol- dependent patients within a follow- up period of 12 months.

The investigators will explore how these alterations interact with clinical and psychosocial factors which can modify the relapse risk. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) will be used to identify neurofunctional abnormalities in neurotransmitter systems. The investigators will also provide data for genetic analysis and modeling.

Patients will be detoxified in an inpatient setting and followed for 12 months using the Time-Line Follow- Back Procedure. Clinical assessments, behavioral paradigms of learning and brain imaging will be carried out within at least 4 half- lives after any psychotropic medication.

The investigators will implement and apply functional imaging paradigms assessing Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer and reversal learning tasks and associate model parameters of learning with alcohol craving, intake and prospective relapse risk.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

This project will examine 150 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and 100 age- and gender matched controls. The main aim of this project is to assess 1) which behavioural and neuroimaging alterations (fMRI) associated with reward-based learning (see Projects 1 & 3) predict relapse within the follow-up period of 6 months, 2) how these interact with clinical and psychosocial factors which can modify the relapse risk, and 3) to provide data for genetic and imaging analyses and modelling. Furthermore, we will explore gender effects on functional imaging parameters of learning. Patients will be detoxified in an inpatient setting and followed for 6 months using the Form 90 and Time-Line Follow-Back Procedure. Clinical assessments, behavioral paradigms of learning, and brain imaging will be carried out within at least 4 half-lives after any psychotropic medication. Subjects will undergo medical management with bimonthly follow-ups and predefined in- and exclusion criteria as described previously. We will implement and apply functional imaging paradigms assessing Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer and reversal learning as described in Projects 1 and 3. We will associate model parameters of learning with alcohol craving, intake and prospective relapse risk. Independent of these central questions, we will also assess comorbidity, psychosocial and neurobiological disease severity markers to control for specificity of findings.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

225

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

  • Germany
      • Berlin, Germany, 10117
        • Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
    • Saxony
      • Dresden, Saxony, Germany, 01307
        • Universitaetsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus at the Technische Universitaet Dresden
      • Dresden, Saxony, Germany, 01187
        • Technische Universität Dresden

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

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Detoxified alcohol- dependent patients and age- and gender matched healthy controls living in Germany

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV
  • Minimum of 72 hours of abstinence, maximum of 21 days of abstinence
  • Minimum of three years of alcohol dependence
  • Low severity of withdrawal symptoms
  • Ability to provide fully informed consent and to use self- rating scales

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lifetime history of DSM- IV bipolar or psychotic disorder
  • Current threshold DSM-IV diagnosis of any following disorders: current major - depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, borderline personality disorder or obsessive- compulsive disorder
  • History of substance dependence other than alcohol or nicotine dependence

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Alcohol- dependent patients
Detoxified alcohol- dependent patients in an inpatient setting
Control group
Age- and gender matched healthy controls

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response
Time Frame: first assessment time point (alc. dependent pat. up to 21 days after detoxification)
investigation of neuronal activation of the mesolimbic system in alcohol-dependent patients and healthy controls using 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging
first assessment time point (alc. dependent pat. up to 21 days after detoxification)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Treatment response
Time Frame: 12-month follow-up period beginning after first assessment timepoint
test the predictive effects of learning parameters and related neuronal correlates for treatment outcome (relapse vs abstinence) in alcohol-dependent patients
12-month follow-up period beginning after first assessment timepoint

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Technische Universität Dresden

Collaborators

Charite University, Berlin, Germany
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ulrich S Zimmermann, MD, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany

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.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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

January 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 31, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 4, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

September 5, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 28, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 27, 2016

Last Verified

July 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HE2597/141;ZI1119/31;WI709/101

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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