The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between 5-HT2R function, impulsivity and cue reactivity in cocaine dependent subjects and healthy controls and examine specific effects of escitalopram and mirtazapine on impulsivity and cue reactivity in human cocaine users.
Specific Aim 1: We will test the hypothesis that cocaine-dependent subjects will exhibit greater impulsivity than controls as determined by a battery of impulsivity measures and that impulsivity will be associated with specific profiles of 5-HT2AR and/or 5-HT2CR expression in platelets. We predict that treatment of cocaine-dependent subjects with escitalopram and/or mirtazapine will reduce impulsivity and cocaine-positive urines, in concert with a normalized balance of platelet 5-HT2AR and/or 5-HT2CR expression. Specific Aim 2: We will test the hypothesis that cocaine-dependent subjects will exhibit greater cue reactivity than controls as determined by a modified Stroop task, and that cue reactivity will be associated with specific profiles of 5-HT2AR and/or 5-HT2CR expression in platelets. We predict that treatment of cocaine-dependent subjects with escitalopram and/or mirtazapine will reduce cue reactivity and cocaine-positive urines, in concert with a normalized balance of platelet 5-HT2AR and/or 5-HT2CR expression. Specific Aim 3: We will test the hypothesis that specific polymorphisms in the 5-HT2AR and/or 5-HT2CR will predict baseline impulsivity and/or cue reactivity as well as treatment response to serotonergic medications in cocaine-dependent subjects.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
160
Escitalopram: once daily 10 mg on days 1-3, 20 mg on days 4-24 and 10 mg on days 25-28
Once daily days 1-28
University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston; Substance Abuse Research Clinic
Houston, Texas, United States
Immediate Memory Task
The IMT was used to measure impulsivity. The IMT is a continuous performance test. Subjects were instructed to respond on the computer's left mouse button when a five-digit number the target stimulus appeared that was exactly like the preceding stimulus. A catch stimulus was a number that differed only slightly from the preceding number. Only one of the five digits was changed its position and value was determined randomly. Responses errors made to catch stimuli were considered commission errors or 'false alarms'. Immediate Memory Task Commission Errors to catch stimuli were the primary measure of impulsivity in this study. Scale is percentage of overall responses to a catch stimulus that were commission errors, ranging from 0 to 100. Zero would equate to no impulsivity and 100 would equate to 100% impulsive responses.
Time frame: after acute dose and after chronic administration
Attentional Bias as Measured by the Cocaine Stroop Task.
Attentional bias is the difference in reaction time to cocaine related words and neutral words. A slower reaction time indicates greater attentional bias.
Time frame: 5 weeks of treatment
Cocaine Positive Urines
Number of urine drug screens positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine.
Time frame: 5 weeks of treatment
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