Serotonin in Alcoholism

Completed

Conditions studied: Alcoholism, Healthy

In brief

This study uses positron emission tomography (PET) scanning to study how serotonin works in alcoholics. Serotonin is a chemical that allows brain cells to communicate. There is evidence that people with alcoholism have altered serotonin; their brains begin to make and break down serotonin more slowly than people who do not drink. PET scans use radioactive substances injected into the body. A special camera detects the radiation emitted by the radioactive fluid and a computer processes the radioactivity into images of the brain, which show the activity of brain chemicals like serotonin. People with alcohol dependency may participate in this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, including questions about alcohol and drug use, physical examination, blood tests, breath alcohol tests, electrocardiogram (ECG), urine test for illicit drugs and, for women, a pregnancy test, and a stool test for hidden blood. They also undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain and complete questionnaires on their alcohol and drug history. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: * Diet low in tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid from which serotonin is made. * Brain MRI before starting the study to make sure brain structure is normal. * Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to collect a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A local anesthetic is given and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones (vertebrae) in the lower back. About 2 tablespoons of fluid is collected through the needle. * Arterial catheter (plastic tube) placed in an artery in the wrist area for drawing blood samples. The skin is numbed with a local anesthetic for placement of the catheter. * Intravenous (IV) catheter placed in a vein for injecting the radioactive isotope used in the PET scan. * Two PET scans - baseline and active. * Amino acid drink (orange flavored) before the active PET scan. The drink lowers tryptophan levels. * Amino acid capsules - 23 amino acid capsules are taken with the orange drink. * Genetic analysis to help understand serotonin and alcoholism. A blood sample is collected for DNA testing and possibly establishment of a cell line (collection of cells that are grown in the laboratory from an original tissue specimen) for other genetic studies. Patients are admitted to the intensive care unit for the lumbar puncture and arterial line procedures. After these procedures are complete, the patient is transferred by stretcher to the PET suite for scanning. During the two scans, blood samples are drawn from the artery and a small amount of CSF is collected each hour of the study. Each PET scanning session lasts about 3 hours. The study lasts 36 hours, during which time the subject remains in bed.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00011752

Run by

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

People needed

75

Starts

2001-02-01

Expected to finish

2005-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2008-03-04

Who can join

Age: any. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients who have met standard DSM-IV R criteria for alcohol dependence and limited number psychiatric conditions that characterize patients with mood disorders that are difficult to separate from their alcohol use.
• Age and sex matched healthy research comparison participants. The healthy research comparison participants need to be free of medical, neurological, and psychiatric illness. They should be medication free at the time of study. They should not meet criteria for alcohol or substance abuse, and cannot have a history of such use placing them in questionable diagnostic categories.
• The age range of study participants is from 18 to 65 years.
• Subjects from a diverse racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds will be included in the study. This is because alcohol dependence manifests itself differently in different racial and gender groups.

You may not qualify if…

• Significant medical problems, e.g., active GI bleed, cancer, active hepatitis B infection or other medical diseases associated with liver pathology other than hepatitis C or alcoholism (e.g. Hemochromatosis).
• Other psychiatric illnesses represent diagnostic categories not eligible for this study. Examples of these include Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, acute or chronic psychotic illness (e.g. Schizophrenia), and Substance Induced Mood Disorders (i.e. secondary to illicit drug dependence; e.g. heroin, cocaine, crack, PCP, and other illicit substances that affect brain function).
• Intravenous drug use within the past three months.
• Drug or medication use, strongly associated with liver dysfunction, CNS effects, or impaired GI absorption (e.g. high doses of acetaminophen, neuroleptic medications, and narcotic medications).
• History of significant GI surgery (e.g. Roux en Y procedure, partial gastrectomy), which would interfere with normal GI absorption of dietary constituents.
• Coagulation defects or lack of dual circulation.
• Severe iron deficiency anemia, marked low hematocrit or hemoglobin.
• Pregnancy: a positive pregnancy test will preclude further participation in this protocol.
• Inability to give a clinical history or informed consent.
• Positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis: patients with positive HIV status/AIDS will be excluded form the study.
• Individuals may be excluded from entering the study at the discretion of the Principal Investigator, Dr. Williams, based on his clinical judgment.
• Participants who have had an adverse reaction that mimics any of the anticipated adverse events in response to a pharmacological challenge study or to a prescribed medication.
• Cranial mass.

Where it is running

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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