Real-world Experiences of Alcohol and Cognitions Over Time

NCT06579521 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY00018677R21AA029489
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 92
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine how alcohol affects young adults' attention in both laboratory and real-world settings through phone-based cognitive tasks. The main questions this trial is designed to answer are:

• How well do the phone-based cognitive tasks capture alcohol's effects on attention?
• Does the effect of alcohol on attention contribute to risk-taking? Participants will complete cognitive tasks to assess attention before and after consuming a standard amount of alcohol in the laboratory, and during surveys completed through a phone app for eight weekends.

Conditions

Alcohol Intoxication

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Central Counting Task (phone)

  On a phone, participants will count the number of times a crosshair flashes in the center of the screen. Each trial will include between 1 and 4 flashes. There will be 6 trials per block. After a training block, there will be two blocks administered while sober. After alcohol consumption, three blocks will be administered on the ascending limb of the BrAC curve. Number of accurate responses will be evaluated.

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

• Peripheral Probe Identification Task (phone)

  While counting the number of times a crosshair flashes in the center of a phone screen (central counting task), participants will also be asked to monitor a cued corner (if possible), and shown an array of four colored stimuli. In each trial, they will be asked to identify whether the color of a probe matches the cued stimulus, with a 50% likelihood of matching. After a training block, there will be two blocks administered while sober. After alcohol consumption, three blocks will be administered on the ascending limb of the BrAC curve. Number of accurate responses will be evaluated.

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

• Visual Categorization Task (phone)

  On a phone, participants will be presented with one of two visual stimuli (shapes) in a random sequence with equal probability, and asked to categorize each stimuli as quickly as possible (e.g., "Is this a square or circle?") with placement of response buttons (right or left side of screen) randomized. Each trial consists of a shape categorization. There are 12 trials per block. After a training block, there will be two blocks administered while sober. After alcohol consumption, three blocks will be administered on the ascending limb of the BrAC curve. Differences in response time will be evaluated for one-back stimuli (change vs. no change) and two-back stimuli (change vs. no change).

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Central Counting Task (desktop)

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

• Peripheral Probe Identification Task (desktop)

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

• Auditory Categorization Task (desktop)

  Baseline and after alcohol consumption in the laboratory (an average of approximately 1 hour after baseline)

Study Arms (1)

Alcohol

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Alcohol

Interventions

Alcohol OTHER

A standard dose of alcohol will be administered (volume calculated with regard to age, sex assigned at birth, height, and weight) in the form of vodka and combined with mixer at a 1:4 ratio to reach a target breath alcohol concentration of .08%.

Alcohol

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• aged 21-25
• drink at least 2x/week in the past month
• at least 1 past-month heavy episodic drinking event (4+/5+ standard drinks in a day for females/males)
• have an iPhone
• able to read and understand English
• willing to complete all study procedures

You may not qualify if:

• history of alcohol-related treatment or hospitalization
• medical contraindications for alcohol consumption (e.g., contraindicated medication, major psychiatric illness, history of seizure, gastric bypass surgery, cardiac pacemaker, major illness such as liver cirrhosis or hepatitis, past traumatic brain injury, asthma exacerbated by alcohol use, consistent flushing response to alcohol use) or pregnancy, nursing an infant, or plans to become pregnant in the next 8 weeks (i.e., during the EMA monitoring period)
• substantial visual impairment or color blindness (given that cognitive tasks rely on visual cues)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: lead
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcoholic Intoxication

Interventions

Ethanol

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Alcohols; Organic Chemicals

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2024
• First Posted: August 30, 2024
• Study Start: August 18, 2024
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2025
• Study Completion: August 31, 2025
• Last Updated: December 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: During data collection, data will be submitted biannually to the NIMH Data Archive.
• Access Criteria: Individual requests to access data with intended purpose should be made to Dr. Jaffe and will be reviewed by the investigative team. Requests can also be made through the NIMH Data Archive

Locations

US (1)