Semantic Networks in Alcohol Use Disorder Patients: Exploratory Study (ALCOOLNET)

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a major public health problem, characterized by a high rate of relapse. Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption notably induces frontal brain alterations and cognitive impairments such as executive dysfunction and an attentional bias for alcohol, participating to the risk of relapse. In effect, AUD patients preferentially process alcohol-related cues, which could reflect a reorganization of the patients' semantic network. The investigators hypothesize that in AUD patients, semantic associations in memory are reorganized with a higher centrality of alcohol-related elements. To the investigators knowledge, no studies have explored semantic associations and/or semantic networks in AUD.

A study, conducted in patients with neurological damage, showed that frontal lesions are associated with excessive strength in semantic associations, and difficulties to generate remote associations. This excessive strength in semantic associations could reduce the ability to inhibit automatisms and to adapt to new context.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore whether and how AUD patients have a different organization of semantic associations than healthy controls, and whether this reorganization influences the alcohol consumption over the months following the withdrawal. The investigators will also explore how it relates to neuropsychological assessment of flexibility, executive functions, and impulsivity. To these purposes, the investigators will use two original verbal tasks (Free Generation of Associates Task, FGAT and Associative Judgment Task, AJT) assessing word associations and allowing the estimation of semantic networks using graph theory, in combination with neuropsychological testing, in AUD patients and in healthy controls.

Methods: This study will include a group of 30 AUD patients and a group of 30 healthy controls. Both groups will be assessed twice, at baseline (T1; early in abstinence for AUD patients) and after a three-month period (T3). For the two groups, T1 and T3 assessments will include the two semantic association tasks (FGAT and AJT). For AUD patients, assessments will also involve neuropsychological testing of impulsivity, flexibility, and attentional bias. Besides, in AUD patients, data about alcohol consumptions will be collected six weeks (T2) and three months (T3) following the baseline assessment to classify patients as relapsers or abstainers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 41

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Île-de-France Region
    • Paris, Île-de-France Region, France, 75010
      • Fernand Widal Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Two groups of participants will be included in this study. The first one consists of a pool of alcohol use disorder, the second one consists of a pool of healthy controls ; they will be matched as much as possible on age, gender, and educational level.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For alcohol use disorder patients

• Severe alcohol use disorder
• French as mother tongue
• Right-hander
• Patient abstinent from alcohol since 15 to 30 days at the inclusion
• Patient free from benzodiazepine since at least 48hours at the inclusion
• Patient who gave his informed written consent
• Currently in outpatient or inpatient care

For healthy controls

• French as mother tongue
• Right-hander
• Participant who gave his informed written consent

Exclusion Criteria:

For alcohol use disorder patients

• Patient under guardianship or under justice safeguard measures
• Patient under measure of therapeutic injunction
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding declared
• Meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM) criteria for substance use disorder other than Tobacco
• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for non substance use disorder
• Patient presenting severe or progressive disease that interfere with experimental tasks, such as neurological diseases (TBI, epilepsy, stoke) , hepatic diseases, cancer, HIV, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and unstable psychiatric comorbidities.

For healthy controls

• Participant under guardianship or under justice safeguard measures
• Participant under measure of therapeutic injunction
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding declared
• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder
• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder other than Tobacco
• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for non substance use disorder
• Currently under benzodiazepine
• Participant presenting severe or progressive disease that interfere with experimental tasks, such as neurological diseases (TBI, epilepsy, stoke) , hepatic diseases, cancer, HIV, HCV, and unstable psychiatric comorbidities.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Healthy controls
Alcohol use disorder patients

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Description of the semantic associations using FGAT	The Free Generation Associated Tasks will be used in Alcohol use disorder patients and Healthy controls	At baseline (T1)
Description of the semantic associations using AJT	The Associative Judgment Task will be used in Alcohol use disorder patients and Healthy controls	At baseline (T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Impact of medications on the semantic association performance		At baseline (T1)
Impact of age on the semantic association performance		At baseline (T1)
Impact of the study level on the semantic association performance		At baseline (T1)
Impact of gender on the semantic association performance		At baseline (T1)
Impact of the duration of dependence on the semantic association performance		At baseline (T1)
Impact of cognitive performance on the semantic association performance	The Go /No Go performance will be collected in Alcohol use disorder patients	At baseline (T1)
Test of the predictive value of FGAT performance assessed at T1 on alcohol consumption during the six weeks following the Baseline		Baseline (T1) for FGAT ; T2 (6 weeks after T1) for alcohol consumption
Test of the predictive value of AJT performance assessed at T1 on alcohol consumption during the six weeks following the Baseline		Baseline (T1) for AJT ; T2 (6 weeks after T1) for alcohol consumption
Test of the predictive value of FGAT performance assessed at T1 on alcohol consumption during the three months following the Baseline		Baseline (T1) for FGAT ; T3 (3 months after T1) for alcohol consumption
Test of the predictive value of AJT performance assessed at T1 on alcohol consumption during the three months following the Baseline		Baseline (T1) for AJT ; T3 (3 months after T1) for alcohol consumption
Evolution of FGAT performance, comparison between alcohol use disorder patients and healthy controls		T1 (baseline) and T3 (3 months after baseline)
Evolution of AJT performance, comparison between alcohol use disorder patients and healthy controls		T1 (baseline) and T3 (3 months after baseline)
Link between the evolution of FGAT performance and the level of alcohol consumption	The level of alcohol consumption will be assessed using the Timeline Followback method	Baseline (T1) for FGAT and 3 months after baseline (T3) for FGAT and the level of alcohol consumption)
Link between the evolution of AJT performance and alcohol consumption	The level of alcohol consumption will be assessed using the Timeline Followback method	Baseline (T1) for AJT and 3 months after baseline (T3) for AJT and the level of alcohol consumption)
Link between the evolution of FGAT performance and the evolution of cognitive performance	The Go /No Go performance will be used in alcohol use disorder patients	Baseline (T1) and 3 months after baseline (T3)
Link between the evolution of AJT performance and the evolution of cognitive performance	The Go /No Go performance will be used in alcohol use disorder patients	Baseline (T1) and 3 months after baseline (T3)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alexandra Dereux, PH (MD), APHP

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 19, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 7, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): October 7, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): December 5, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cognition; alcohol use disorder; semantic association; semantic networks
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholism
• Other Study ID Numbers: C22-01; 2022-A01903-40 (Registry Identifier: ID RCB)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No