Alcoholism: Emotion and Thinking

Boston University

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Alcoholism

Treatments: Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); Behavioral: Interviews, cognitive tests, and emotional measurements

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency; NIH

Identifiers

NCT00300638

H-24686

K05AA000219 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

R01AA007112 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether long-term chronic alcoholism is associated with changes in emotional functioning and brain structure and function.

Full description

This research investigates brain structure and function in alcoholics compared to healthy nonalcoholic individuals. Alcoholics have shown impairments in cognitive processing of emotional signals. Some alcoholics are impaired in social skills, and many are unable to implement the strategies for interpersonal interactions that they recommend for themselves. For example, alcoholics have difficulty interpreting non-verbal emotional cues and recognizing facial expressions of emotion. When listening to sentences, alcoholics also have some difficulty judging emotional intonations and emotional content. In our research, we are trying to understand where in the brain these emotional behaviors take place, and whether or not the brain functions differently for alcoholic and nonalcoholic individuals. We present emotional words and pictures on a computer screen, and using MRI scans, we observe how the brain works when people purposefully respond to the words and pictures. Additionally, we are comparing brain structure and activation patterns in men and women, because there may be gender differences in responses to emotional stimuli.

Enrollment: 599 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 25 to 76 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Male and female right-handed people 25 years of age or older.
• Participants either will have a past Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version IV (DSM-IV) diagnosis of alcohol dependence, or no such history at all.
• Participants will have signed an informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant women.
• Shrapnel or other metal in body (dental fillings OK)

Trial design

599 participants in 1 patient group

1- MRI and interviews

Description:

In our research, we are trying to understand where in the brain these emotional behaviors take place, and whether or not the brain functions differently for alcoholic and nonalcoholic individuals. We present emotional words and pictures on a computer screen, and using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, we observe how the brain works when people purposefully respond to the words and pictures. Interviews, cognitive tests, and emotional measurements will also be done. Additionally, we are comparing brain structure and activation patterns in men and women, because there may be gender differences in responses to emotional stimuli.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Interviews, cognitive tests, and emotional measurements

Procedure: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)