Alcohol for Social Brain Mechanisms

Overseen By Catharine E Fairbairn, Ph.D.

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Must not be taking: Alcohol-interacting drugs

Disqualifiers: Alcohol problems, Skull fractures, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

240 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to explore how alcohol affects the brain, especially in social situations. Researchers seek to understand the brain's response to alcohol in these settings. The study is recruiting participants aged 21 to 30 who regularly consume alcohol. Those with a history of adverse reactions to alcohol or significant alcohol-related issues may not be suitable for this trial. As an unphased study, this trial offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on alcohol's impact on the brain.

What prior data suggests that this protocol is safe?

Research has shown that alcohol consumption can affect the brain and behavior. Studies have found that even moderate drinking can harm the brain, causing the hippocampus, which aids memory, to shrink. Long-term alcohol use might damage the brain due to thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and other harmful changes.

Although many people consume alcohol, it's important to recognize its potential harm to the brain, especially with long-term use. Prospective participants in a clinical trial involving alcohol should be aware of these possible risks. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it uses a unique technique called hyperscanning to simultaneously study how alcohol affects the social brain activity of multiple people interacting together. Unlike traditional methods that might only look at individual brain activity in isolation, this approach lets scientists see how alcohol influences real-time social interactions and brain connections between individuals. This could offer fresh insights into the social effects of alcohol, potentially leading to better understanding and treatments for alcohol-related social disorders.

Who Is on the Research Team?

Catharine E Fairbairn, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Inclusion Criteria

I am between 21 and 30 years old.

I regularly drink alcohol.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Laboratory Arm

Participants consume either a moderate dose of alcohol or a control beverage in stranger dyads and engage in tasks assessing social engagement and threat sensitivity. EEG and ERP data are collected.

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Ambulatory Arm

Participants wear transdermal sensors to assess BAC and provide information about mood and social contexts in response to random prompts.

14 days

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for drinking behaviors and assessed via longitudinal self-reports of drinking.

Up to 24 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lead Sponsor

Trials

203

Recruited

40,600+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3625995/

Alcohol's Effects on Brain and Behavior - PMC - PubMed Central As a group, alcoholics share this constellation of behaviors characteristic of frontal lobe dysfunction, which also can include impaired judgment, blunted ...

2. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07125534

Study Details | NCT07125534 | Alcohol and the Social ... The study investigates the effects of alcohol consumption on social and individual behaviors using a within-subject design.

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289524000146

The role of brain serotonin signaling in excessive alcohol ... The brain's serotonin system has been implicated in AUD for decades and is a major regulator of stress-related behaviors associated with increased alcohol ...

4. bmj.com bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353

Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse ... Alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, is associated with adverse brain outcomes including hippocampal atrophy.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8625009/

Alcohol and the Brain - PMC - PubMed Central - NIH Chronic alcohol consumption is thought to contribute directly to neurotoxicity via thiamine deficiency, metabolite toxicity and neuroinflammation.