Cerebellar Involvement in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Description

The goal of this observational and interventional study is to better understand the involvement of the cerebellum in the brain reward system in persons with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What is the nature of cerebellar input to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the brain reward system, and how is it perturbed in AUD? 2. What is the relationship between measures of cerebellar integrity and magnitude of reward activation to alcohol-related cues in cerebellar, VTA and other brain reward structures? 3. What is the therapeutic potential of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for modulating alcohol cue reactivity, associated alcohol craving, and cerebellar - VTA functional connectivity in the brain reward system? Persons with AUD will be compared with healthy control participants.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

The goal of this observational and interventional study is to better understand the involvement of the cerebellum in the brain reward system in persons with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What is the nature of cerebellar input to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the brain reward system, and how is it perturbed in AUD? 2. What is the relationship between measures of cerebellar integrity and magnitude of reward activation to alcohol-related cues in cerebellar, VTA and other brain reward structures? 3. What is the therapeutic potential of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for modulating alcohol cue reactivity, associated alcohol craving, and cerebellar - VTA functional connectivity in the brain reward system? Persons with AUD will be compared with healthy control participants.

Investigation of Cerebellar Involvement in AUD

Cerebellar Involvement in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Condition
Alcohol Use Disorder
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Baltimore

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205

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.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * completed at least 8 years of education
  • * Estimated Intelligence Quotient (IQ) \< 90
  • * less than 5th grade reading level
  • * Left handed
  • * Non-native English speaker
  • * current drug use disorder other than alcohol (except nicotine and caffeine) and or recent drug use in the last 90 days
  • * Positive breath alcohol level at time of MRI scan or discrepancies between alcohol biomarker and self-report that cannot be resolved
  • * Exhibiting symptoms of alcohol withdrawal on visit 1 assessment
  • * Significant current psychiatric distress and or treatment
  • * History of any central nervous system disorder, presence of a seizure disorder, or use of anticonvulsant medication in the past 3 months
  • * any serious medical condition detected on assessment or by medical record review; or have liver function tests more than three times normal at screening
  • * History of metal implantation that would preclude MRI scanning; or other implants, pumps, pacemakers that would be contraindications for MRI scanning
  • * Abnormal MRI scan or history of significant closed head trauma
  • * Evidence of dementia
  • * For women, pregnancy

Ages Eligible for Study

25 Years to 55 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Johns Hopkins University,

John E Desmond, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Johns Hopkins University

Study Record Dates

2027-09