Using Neuroeconomics to Characterize State-Based Increases and Decreases in Alcohol Value

NCT04067765 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: R01AA027255-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 72
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study uses techniques from an area of research known as neuroeconomics, which integrates concepts and methods from psychology, neuroscience, and economics to better understand how people make decisions and how these decisions are supported by the brain. One neuroeconomic concept that is especially relevant in the area of addictions is substance demand, or how consumption of a commodity (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, or drugs) is influenced by price and other factors. Previous studies have shown that alcohol demand is related to severity of alcohol misuse, drinking quantity/frequency, and treatment outcomes. In addition, we know that alcohol demand can also fluctuate in response to environmental cues such as alcohol-related stimuli or external contingencies such as important responsibilities the following day. These increase and decreases in consumption and value are clinically significant because they help us understand how people with alcohol use disorders are able to successfully or unsuccessfully modulate their drinking behaviors. This study is examining how the brain responds in these situations and whether these responses differ as a function of severity of alcohol misuse. This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand brain activity patterns associated with changes in the value of alcohol in the presence of alcohol-related beverage cues relative to neutral-related beverage cue. Participants will be non-treatment-seeking adult heavy drinkers who are recruited from the community to participate in an fMRI scan. During the scan, participants will make decisions about how many alcohol beverages they would consume (hypothetically) at various prices while their brain activity during those decisions is measured. The experimental manipulation involves an in-scanner alcohol cue exposure task in which the drinking decisions will be made after viewing high-quality images of alcoholic (beer/wine/liquor) beverages or neutral (water/juice/soft drinks) beverages.

Conditions

Alcohol Use Disorder; Alcohol Drinking

Keywords

Alcohol; Neuroeconomics; Demand; Cues

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Alcohol Demand Intensity

  Intensity is defined as the self-consumption in standard drinks at free price. Participants could select between 0-10 standard sized alcohol drinks on the in-scanner alcohol purchase task paradigm. The mean intensity was calculated separately for the two neutral cue runs and the two alcohol cue runs.

  Collected during each of 4 runs of the FMRI Alcohol Purchase Task. Duration of each run was approximately 6 minutes and included 26 trials.

• Alcohol Demand Breakpoint

  Breakpoint is defined as the first price on the alcohol purchase task that suppressed consumption to zero drinks. The mean breakpoint was calculated separately for the two neutral cue runs and the two alcohol cue runs.

  Collected during each of 4 runs of the FMRI Alcohol Purchase Task. Duration of each run was approximately 6 minutes and included 26 trials.

• Alcohol Demand Omax

  Omax is defined as the maximum total expenditure on alcohol for the in-scanner alcohol purchase task. The mean Omax was calculated separately for the two neutral cue runs and the two alcohol cue runs.

  Collected during each of 4 runs of the FMRI Alcohol Purchase Task. Duration of each run was approximately 6 minutes and included 26 trials.

• Alcohol Demand Elasticity

  Elasticity is defined as the change in consumption (in drinks) as a function of increases in price per drink (in dollars). This index was modeled using an exponentiated demand curve model as reported in \[Koffarnus, M. N., Franck, C. T., Stein, J. S., \& Bickel, W. K. (2015). A modified exponential behavioral economic demand model to better describe consumption data. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 23(6), 504-512. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000045\]. This nonlinear model generates a best fitting value for an alpha parameter, reflecting the rate of change in elasticity over increasing price. Higher alpha values reflect greater elasticity (greater sensitivity in consumption with increases in price). There is no theoretical range as this is a free parameter in the model. Mean alpha values were calculated separately for the two neutral cue runs and the two alcohol cue runs.

  Collected during each of 4 runs of the FMRI Alcohol Purchase Task. Duration of each run was approximately 6 minutes and included 26 trials.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Alcohol Craving

  Collected immediately after the first neutral cue exposure and immediately after the first alcohol cue exposure.

Study Arms (1)

Neutral Cue, then Alcohol Cue

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants first completed an in-scanner neutral cue exposure prior to the first two in-scanner alcohol purchase tasks runs. Participants then received an in-scanner alcohol cue exposure prior to the final two in-scanner alcohol purchase task runs. Cue exposures consisted of images of neutral (water) or alcohol (beer, wine, liquor) beverages and an imaginal script describing a drinking scenario.

Behavioral: Cue Exposure

Interventions

Cue Exposure BEHAVIORAL

Participants will undergo a validated in-scanner alcohol cue and neutral cue exposure protocol involving passive viewing of images of alcohol beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) and neutral beverages (water).

Neutral Cue, then Alcohol Cue

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• years old;
• Right-handed;
• Fluent English speaker;
• Heavy drinker (i.e., on average \> 14/7 drinks per week for males/females in past three months;
• Average of 1 heavy drinking episode weekly (heavy drinking episode = 5+/4+ for males/females) over past three months

You may not qualify if:

• Currently receiving treatment, or seeking treatment, for alcohol related problems;
• Current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) substance use disorder other than alcohol or tobacco;
• Weekly or more frequent use of recreational drugs;
• History of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, or PTSD;
• History of neurocognitive disorder or impairment;
• MRI contraindications (e.g., metal in body, history of seizure, etc.);
• History of serious brain injury;
• Currently taking psychotropic medications or medications that could affect cerebral blood flow;
• Pregnancy (females);
• Attending any study session with a positive breath alcohol concentration (BrAC \> 0.00g%)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University: lead

Study Sites (1)

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario, L8N3K7, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholism; Alcohol Drinking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohol-Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders; Drinking Behavior; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Michael Amlung
• Organization: University of Kansas

mamlung@ku.edu

785-864-0334

Study Officials

• Michael Amlung, PhD

  University of Kansas

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will undergo a validated cue exposure protocol involving exposure to neutral beverage cues followed by exposure to alcohol beverage cues

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2019
• First Posted: August 26, 2019
• Study Start: January 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2023
• Study Completion: December 31, 2023
• Last Updated: September 9, 2025
• Results First Posted: September 9, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)