The Effect of Positive and Negative Emotions on Brain Activity in Alcoholics and Nonalcoholics

NCT00001675 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 98005698-AA-0056
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,194
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study was designed to learn more about the areas of the brain involved in the experience of positive and negative emotions. Patients who would like to participate in this study will first undergo a screening process to see if they will be eligible for the study. Patients eligible to participate in the study will go through two sessions. During session one, researchers will attempt to evoke positive and negative emotions by showing patients slides of different emotion-arousing stimuli (pictures of pleasant and unpleasant scenes). While patients are viewing these slides, researchers will be measuring patient's heart rate, sweating, and eye-blinking. During session two, patients will undergo an MRI of the brain while seeing similar emotion-arousing pictures as in session one. In addition, patients may be asked to play a simple computer game for a reward of money while researchers use the MRI to measure brain activity. Researchers hope to develop methods to evoke positive and negative emotions and simultaneously (at the same time) see brain activation in normal volunteers, alcoholics, and recovered alcoholics.\<TAB\>

Conditions

Alcoholism; Healthy

Keywords

Brain Imaging; Affect; Limbic System; Cerebral Blood Volume; Alcoholism; Emotion; Brain; Operant; Autonomic; Relapse; Normal Volunteer

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• (1) Are physically healthy;
• (2) Are between 18-65 years of age (since age effects FMRI signal in ways that have not yet been well-characterized);
• (2) Are right handed.

You may not qualify if:

• (2) Test HIV positive (since AIDS-related dementia compromises brain function);
• (3) Are not cleared on a neuromotor examination during the screening physical by the medically responsible staff;
• (4) Are currently receiving psychotropic medication for emotional distress;
• (5) Are pregnant or lactating;
• (6) Have symptoms of alcohol withdrawal as indicated by the most recent measurement within the past 30 days, as measured by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA) score greater than 8;
• (7) Have active homicidal or suicidal ideation.
• RECOVERING ALCOHOLICS
• We will study up to 50 male and 50 female individuals who in the past have met criteria for alcohol use disorders and are between the age of 18 and 65 years. Recovering alcoholics must be at least 3 month without alcohol use, and will be recruited from the NIAAA protocol 05-AA-0121, Assessment and treatment of people with alcohol drinking problems.
• HEALTHY NON-ALCOHOLICS:
• We will study up to 150 male and 150 female individuals who have never met criteria for an alcohol use disorder and are between the age of 18 and 65 years and will be recruited from the NIAAA protocol 98-AA-0009, Screening Evaluation for NIAAA Protocols.
• CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS:
• We will study up to 90 male and 90 female individuals who are biological children of at least one parent who met criteria for alcohol dependence and are between the age of 12 and 17 years.
• CHILDREN OF NON-ALCOHOLICS:
• We will study up to 90 male and 90 female individuals neither of whose biological parents met criteria for alcohol dependence and are between the age of 12 and 17 years.
• PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PARENT WITH A HISTORY OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE:

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Breiter HC, Etcoff NL, Whalen PJ, Kennedy WA, Rauch SL, Buckner RL, Strauss MM, Hyman SE, Rosen BR. Response and habituation of the human amygdala during visual processing of facial expression. Neuron. 1996 Nov;17(5):875-87. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80219-6.

  PMID: 8938120 BACKGROUND

• Depue RA, Luciana M, Arbisi P, Collins P, Leon A. Dopamine and the structure of personality: relation of agonist-induced dopamine activity to positive emotionality. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1994 Sep;67(3):485-98. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.67.3.485.

  PMID: 7965602 BACKGROUND

• Grant S, London ED, Newlin DB, Villemagne VL, Liu X, Contoreggi C, Phillips RL, Kimes AS, Margolin A. Activation of memory circuits during cue-elicited cocaine craving. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Oct 15;93(21):12040-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.21.12040.

  PMID: 8876259 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism; Recurrence

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Reza Momenan, Ph.D.

  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 1999
• First Posted: April 20, 2006
• Study Start: January 23, 1998
• Study Completion: December 23, 2015
• Last Updated: December 9, 2019

Record last verified: 2015-12-23

Locations

US (1)