Perceived Alcohol Rewards and Risks Study

University of California, Los Angeles60 enrolled

Overview

The identification of mechanisms that underlie how people reduce or eliminate alcohol use is a critical public health issue. Understanding these mechanisms can inform how to effectively intervene with problem drinkers. Thus far it has been a challenge for the alcohol research field to find consistent empirical evidence in support of candidate mechanisms of behavior change. Scientific advancement in this area may be aided by longitudinal transdisciplinary research on the interplay between behavioral intervention, cognition, and brain activity to understand underlying processes of behavior change among heavy drinkers. This study employed a randomized 2-arm repeated measures design with a sample of non-treatment seeking adult heavy drinkers to examine changes in perceived reward value and risks of alcohol use as a mechanism of alcohol behavior change after a brief behavioral intervention. Participants were randomized to either a 1-session behavioral intervention or to an attention-matched control condition and immediately after completed an fMRI scan. The focus of this project is to examine if group differences in perceived alcohol reward value after the intervention mediates an intervention effect on reducing alcohol use in the 1 month following the intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Heavy Drinking

Brief Alcohol InterventionBEHAVIORAL

Brief alcohol intervention uses a motivational interviewing approach and covers the following components: giving information about the possible health risks associated with alcohol use, placing the responsibility for change on the individual, discussing the reasons for drinking and downsides of drinking, and setting a goal and change plan if the participant is receptive.

Control ConditionBEHAVIORAL

The attention-matched control condition consisting of a 30-min video about astronomy.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 21 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. engaged in regular heavy drinking, as indicated by consuming 5 or more drinks per occasion for men or 4 or more drinks per occasion for women at least 4 times in the month prior to enrollment 2. a score of ≥ 8 on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) Exclusion Criteria: 1. under the age of 21 2. currently receiving treatment for alcohol problems, history of treatment in the 30 days before enrollment, or currently seeking treatment 3. a positive urine toxicology screen for any drug other than cannabis 4. a lifetime history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other psychotic disorder 5. serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms 6. history of epilepsy, seizures, or severe head trauma 7. non-removable ferromagnetic objects in body 8. claustrophobia 9. pregnancy

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Percent Heavy Drinking Days

Percent heavy drinking days defined as 5+ drinks for men and 4+ for women according to self-reported Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) data

Time frame: 4 weeks post intervention

Neural Alcohol Cue Reactivity

Neural alcohol cue reactivity as measured by whole brain activation to alcohol taste cue vs. water taste cue using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Time frame: Single time point immediately post intervention