Automatic Versus Evaluative Components of Cue Reactivity

NCT01036126 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 99990338403-DA-N384
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 320
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: \- Relapse to drug abuse often happens in the presence of stimuli that are associated with previous drug use, also known as cues. Drug-taking behavior appears to be partly controlled by such cues. Some research suggests that cue-induced craving states are responsible for drug use and relapse, but other research suggests that cues can control drug taking without conscious craving or even awareness. Researchers are interested in using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study how individuals respond to drug-related cues and how these cues affect craving on a conscious or unconscious level. Objectives: \- To determine how drug-related stimuli (cues) affect thinking, information processing, and body reactions in current drug users. Eligibility: \- Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who are dependent on either tobacco or crack-cocaine, or are healthy volunteers who are not dependent on either drug. Design:

• The study will require two sessions, a training session and a testing session, that will take place within 48 hours of each other. Between the two test sessions, participants may not consume alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs, and must restrict caffeine consumption.
• During the first session, participants will complete questionnaires about tobacco/cocaine use and craving, and will be trained on the tasks to be performed in the MRI scanner.
• During the second session, participants will perform concentration tasks and look at pictures, some of which will be tobacco/cocaine related. Body reactions such as heart rate, pupil dilation, and sweating will be measured during this session. Some participants will have actual MRI scanning, while others will have mock MRI scanning.
• After the MRI session, participants will complete questionnaires about craving and responses to the scan.

Conditions

Drug Dependence

Keywords

Nicotine; Cocaine; N-Back; Craving; Dependence

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Smokers:
• Regular smoking of greater than or equal to 20 cigarettes other than ultra-low nicotine cigarettes per day for at least two years. Experienced withdrawal signs after not smoking for several hours. Score on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence greater than or equal to 3.
• No intention to quit or reduce tobacco use, and no treatment for tobacco dependence currently or during the previous 3 months.
• No history of abuse of or dependence to any other drug.
• Age at least 18 and not older than 50 years.
• Controls:
• Smoked less than 5 cigarettes during lifetime
• No history of abuse of or dependence to any drug, including alcohol.
• Age at least 18 and not older than 50 years.
• Cocaine abusers:
• Reported regular crack-cocaine use for at least six months. Meeting DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence.
• No intention to quit or reduce cocaine use, and no treatment for cocaine dependence currently or during the previous 3 months.
• Age at least 18 and not older than 50 years.
• Controls:
• No history of dependence on any drug except nicotine.

You may not qualify if:

• Female subjects: pregnancy (a urine pregnancy test will be performed before each MRI experimental session).
• Presence of metal objects in the body (e.g. some artificial joints, bone pins, surgical clips, skull plate, dental braces) or implanted electronic devices (e.g. cardiac pacemaker, neurostimulator)
• Claustrophobia.
• For experiments involving MRI, left-handed or ambidextrous as determined by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.
• Cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases.
• Major psychiatric disorders including mood, anxiety or psychotic disorders.
• History of or current neurological illnesses including seizure disorders, migraine, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, head trauma, CVA or CNS tumor. Gross structural brain abnormalities as revealed by T1 weighted images. Use of medication that may affect the CNS at the time of scanning (e.g. b-blocker or analgesics).
• Learning disability, amnesia or other conditions that impede memory and attention. IQ less than 85.
• HIV-positivity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institute on Drug Abuse, Biomedical Research Center (BRC)

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Abrams DB, Monti PM, Carey KB, Pinto RP, Jacobus SI. Reactivity to smoking cues and relapse: two studies of discriminant validity. Behav Res Ther. 1988;26(3):225-33. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(88)90003-4. No abstract available.

  PMID: 3408457 BACKGROUND

• Bagby RM, Parker JD, Taylor GJ. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale--I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psychosom Res. 1994 Jan;38(1):23-32. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1.

  PMID: 8126686 BACKGROUND

• Baker TB, Morse E, Sherman JE. The motivation to use drugs: a psychobiological analysis of urges. Nebr Symp Motiv. 1986;34:257-323.

  PMID: 3627296 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Substance-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 18, 2009
• First Posted: December 21, 2009
• Study Start: August 12, 2003
• Study Completion: August 19, 2010
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2010-08-19

Locations

US (1)