The purpose of this study is to examine potential stress and immune systems adaptations underlying craving and relapse vulnerability in alcohol dependent (AD) individuals and social drinkers (SDs) with and without high levels of depressive symptomatology (+dep / - dep). Using the investigators experimentally validated guided imagery procedure, the investigators propose to examine the response of brain stress and immune systems to personalized guided stressful imagery using subjective, physiological and neurobiological assessments in 60 healthy controls and 60 alcoholic dependent individuals with and without depressive symptomatology.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
116
The stress imagery script will be based on participants' description of a recent personal event experienced as "most stressful", and determined as such by rating it above 8 on a 10-point stress scale. These may include breakup with a significant other or job-related stress. A 5-minute 'script' of each scenario will be written using Scene Construction Questionnaires where physiological, bodily sensations regarding the event will be obtained. Scripts will then be recorded onto audiotape for guided imagery in the laboratory sessions.
The neutral script will be developed from a personal non-alcohol-related relaxing situation. A 5-minute 'script' of each scenario will be written using Scene Construction Questionnaires where physiological, bodily sensations regarding the event will be obtained. Scripts will then be recorded onto audiotape for guided imagery in the laboratory sessions.
CT Mental Health Center
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
cytokine levels
At each of the six time-points (-25, -5, +5, +15, +30, +45), serum cytokine concentrations of IL-6, TNFa, TNFR1, IL-10, IL1-ra, IL-4, IL1beta, and IL-12 will be collected. Levels will be determined by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assays using the DuoSet ELISA Development Kit from R\&D systems (Minneapolis, MN, USA). Plasma Cortisol and ACTH levels will also be colected and assays will be measured using standard radioimmunoassay procedures.
Time frame: Day 1 and 2, (-25, -5, +5, +15, +30, +45)
Alcohol Craving
Participants will rate their desire to have an alcoholic drink as well as how anxious they feel at that moment using a10-point visual analog scale (VAS).
Time frame: Day 14, Day 30 and Day 90
Anxiety and Negative Mood
Differential Emotion Scale - DES (Izard, 1972): Subjects are required to rate on a 5-point scale the extent to which an emotional word (item) describes the way s/he feels at the current time. Data is collapsed into subscales: anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, joy, and relaxed state.
Time frame: Day 14, Day 30 and Day 90
Alcohol Relapse
Relapse will be defined as a dichotomous variable and any alcohol use during the ninety days post discharge will be coded as relapse.
Time frame: 14, 30 and 90 day follow-ups
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