This research therefore encompasses the study of reward sensitivity, punishment sensitivity, stress reactivity, attentional bias and habit formation in groups of persons who are receiving treatment for their alcohol dependency or pathological…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
- Psychiatric disorders NEC
Synonym
Health condition
middelenafhankelijkheid (alcohol)
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
Personality characteristics, behavioural scores, blood pressure, heart rate
variability and brain activity (measured by functional MRI) are obtained.
Genetic information will be derived by analysing blood.
Secondary outcome
not applicable.
Background summary
Addicted persons display an excessive search for immediate rewards. Whether
referring to alcohol, drugs, or to behaviours like gambling, addictions evolve
because of pleasurable immediate physical and/or emotional effects of
substances or behaviours. Addiction theories refer to this construct as reward
sensitivity. On the other hand, some people indulge in addictive behaviours to
find relief for dysphoric or unpleasurable emotional states. Addiction theories
refer to this as stress relief motives or punishment sensitivity. However,
phenotypical indicators of reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity/stress
reactivity seem to overlap to a great extent and generally no prototypical
reward or punishment sensitive alcoholics or pathological gamblers can be
distinguished. Based on these findings, it has been suggested that this
distinction should be made at the endophenotypical (e.g. heart rate
variability, brain activity during reward or punishment) and genotypical level
(e.g. dopaminergic polymorphism) in order to study the different
psychobiological pathways to addiction and tailor treatments to causality.
Recent psychobiological research focused on addiction states suggest that in
the course of acquiring an addiction different pathways are affected in time.
The reward pathway is the first pathway in the brain that is affected in
addiction. Salience attribution or attentional bias for drugs related stimuli
is a second mechanism. In the last stage of addiction, rewards play a smaller
part and addictive behaviours are becoming habit behaviours. Studies on
addictive behaviours use clinical samples, where the course of the disorder is
more chronic. Up till now, it is not clear whether clinically referred alcohol
dependent/pathological gamblers differ from non-clinical referred alcohol
dependent/pathological gamblers, on current etiological concepts studies in
addiction.
Study objective
This research therefore encompasses the study of reward sensitivity, punishment
sensitivity, stress reactivity, attentional bias and habit formation in groups
of persons who are receiving treatment for their alcohol dependency or
pathological gambling and in persons who are problem drinkers or problem
gamblers. By focusing on problem groups as well as on clinical addicted groups,
insight will be gained in which aspects are involved in different stages and
levels of addictive behavior. Furthermore, we will be able to study which
characteristics (e.g., reward sensitivity; stress reactivity), are predictive
of relapse in addictive behavior after treatment, escalation or de-escalation
of gambling or drinking in the problem gambling and problem drinking group, and
which characteristics are specific for people who are suffering from an
addiction and are receiving treatment for this.
Study design
Psychological questionnaires and standardised diagnostic interviews are
assessed; physiological examination (e.g. blood pressure and heart rate),
neurocognitive tests and functional MRI are recorded and 15ml blood is drawn to
examine genetic polymorphisms.
Study burden and risks
This study requires 6 hours time from the participants. (6 hours total, of
which one 4-hour visit takes place in the research facility, a pre-screening of
maximum one hour, and two follow-up interviews), and besides a 15ml blood draw,
is not invasive. Moreover, no adverse health consequences are known using
functional MRI scans. New insights generated by this study on addictive
disorders and on the course of addiction are of great interest, since this
study aims to find factors which influence the course and recovery of
addiction.
Meibergdreef 5
1105 AZ Amsterdam
NL
Meibergdreef 5
1105 AZ Amsterdam
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
Problem drinkers need to meet 1 to 3 criteria of the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (assessed by CIDI section J). Clinical alcohol depended subjects need to score more than 3 criteria of the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependency (assessed by CIDI section J).
Problem gamblers meet 3 from 5 DSM-IV criteria assessed by the DIS section T. Pathological gamblers meet 5 or more DSM-IV criteria assessed by the DIS section T.
The control group does not have any history or presence of addictive behaviours.
Exclusion criteria
Subjects are excluded when there is a history or presence of psychiatric disorders assessed by CIDI or DIS diagnostic interviews, such as: bipolar disorder, psychosis/hallucinations, manic, obsessive compulsive disorder or ADHD. Or if subjects have a history or presence of; neurological disorder (CVA, loss of consciousness>30 minutes, coma), hospitalization for psychiatric disorder(s), an estimated IQ lower than 85, or if they do not speak Dutch as their primary language. Subjects from the control groups are excluded when having a history of substance use or dependence, or pathological gambling (other than nicotine smoking). Men in the normal control group are excluded when drinking 21 or more alcoholic drinks a week; women are excluded when drinking more than 15 alcoholic drinks a week.
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL18521.018.07 |