The Alcohol-Pain Connection: Mechanisms and Genetic/Psychological Correlates
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Chronic Pain, Chronic Pain, Psychiatric |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Musculoskeletal, Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 21 - 64 |
| Updated: | 7/25/2018 |
| Start Date: | May 12, 2017 |
| End Date: | June 2021 |
| Contact: | Joseph W Ditre, PhD |
| Email: | jwditre@syr.edu |
| Phone: | 315-443-1052 |
The societal impact of heavy alcohol consumption and chronic pain is substantial and warrants
the existing research investment into their etiology and treatment. Moreover, evidence of
significant co-occurrence between these conditions offers an opportunity to examine
mechanisms in the alcohol-pain connection that may inform the development of novel
treatments. Consistent with NIH PA-15-026 (Mechanistic Studies of Pain and Alcohol
Dependence), the goal of the proposed study is to examine several complex and potentially
bidirectional relations between pain and alcohol in one overarching model, which has never
been attempted in a human experimental paradigm. The primary study aims are as follows: (1)
to conduct the first test of both pharmacological and expectancy effects in acute alcohol
analgesia among humans; (2) to conduct the first test of pain as a proximal antecedent of
urge to drink and ad lib alcohol consumption, and to test whether acute analgesic effects
predict pain-induced alcohol urge/consumption; (3) to test associations between study
outcomes and candidate genetic polymorphisms that have been implicated in pain-alcohol
processes; and (4) to conduct exploratory analyses of gender and pain relevant
cognitive-affective factors as moderators of these outcomes. Participants will include 280
moderate-to-heavy drinkers recruited from the local community. Experimental methods will
include alcohol administration (moderate dose vs. low dose vs. placebo vs. control) and
pre/post assessment of static/dynamic pain responses, and capsaicin/heat pain induction (vs.
no pain induction) followed by assessment of urge to drink and ad lib alcohol consumption. By
employing a novel experimental paradigm, the study results will provide internally valid data
with clear and direct implications for translating these findings to clinical applications.
It is our expectation that this work will catalyze future research and inform clinical
practice by establishing an experimental platform that allows for the demonstration of causal
effects, the evaluation of treatment components prior to conducting costly clinical trials,
and the identification of important theory-based biopsychosocial mechanisms that can inform
the development of novel integrated treatments for individuals with co-occurring pain and
alcohol use disorders.
the existing research investment into their etiology and treatment. Moreover, evidence of
significant co-occurrence between these conditions offers an opportunity to examine
mechanisms in the alcohol-pain connection that may inform the development of novel
treatments. Consistent with NIH PA-15-026 (Mechanistic Studies of Pain and Alcohol
Dependence), the goal of the proposed study is to examine several complex and potentially
bidirectional relations between pain and alcohol in one overarching model, which has never
been attempted in a human experimental paradigm. The primary study aims are as follows: (1)
to conduct the first test of both pharmacological and expectancy effects in acute alcohol
analgesia among humans; (2) to conduct the first test of pain as a proximal antecedent of
urge to drink and ad lib alcohol consumption, and to test whether acute analgesic effects
predict pain-induced alcohol urge/consumption; (3) to test associations between study
outcomes and candidate genetic polymorphisms that have been implicated in pain-alcohol
processes; and (4) to conduct exploratory analyses of gender and pain relevant
cognitive-affective factors as moderators of these outcomes. Participants will include 280
moderate-to-heavy drinkers recruited from the local community. Experimental methods will
include alcohol administration (moderate dose vs. low dose vs. placebo vs. control) and
pre/post assessment of static/dynamic pain responses, and capsaicin/heat pain induction (vs.
no pain induction) followed by assessment of urge to drink and ad lib alcohol consumption. By
employing a novel experimental paradigm, the study results will provide internally valid data
with clear and direct implications for translating these findings to clinical applications.
It is our expectation that this work will catalyze future research and inform clinical
practice by establishing an experimental platform that allows for the demonstration of causal
effects, the evaluation of treatment components prior to conducting costly clinical trials,
and the identification of important theory-based biopsychosocial mechanisms that can inform
the development of novel integrated treatments for individuals with co-occurring pain and
alcohol use disorders.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. be 21-64 years of age
2. be classified as a moderate or heavy drinker based on the
Quantity-Frequency-Variability Questionnaire, which will assure that participants
currently (last 3 months) consume alcohol in amounts similar to what will be
administered or available in the proposed experiments
Exclusion Criteria:
1. current acute or chronic pain
2. chili pepper allergies (contraindicated for capsaicin)
3. current use of prescription pain medications
4. any possibility of being pregnant (verified at session via a pregnancy test)
5. self-reported history of or treatment for psychiatric or alcohol/other drug problems
6. participants who are under the age of 21 or who do not have a government issued ID;
and
7. medical conditions that contraindicate the use of alcohol (e.g., diabetes, liver
disease).
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