Serotonin Transporters in Alcoholism

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Alcoholic and healthy subjects will be recruited from those screened by Dr. Daniel Hommer using either protocol (Protocol number 98-AA-0009) which is used to identify and recruit adult participants who meet DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse and healthy controls or protocol (Protocol number 05-AA-0121) assessment and treatment of people with alcohol drinking problems. As stated in protocol 98-AA-0009, subjects will be recruited primarily from the Washington, DC metropolitan area through newspaper advertisements. These have been approved by the NIAAA IRB in the past and have not changed. As necessary these advertisements which are now primarily published in the Washington Post Health Section, will be reviewed and revised. Any revisions will be presented to the IRB. Subjects will also be recruited through outreach to health care professionals and treatment facilities throughout Northern Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. Patient referrals for sources throughout the U.S. and on occasion international referrals also will be used. Increased efforts will be made to recruit alcoholic subjects from the Hispanic community. This will take the form of contacts with treatment programs that serve Hispanic populations, as well as through advertising in Spanish language newspapers. We have decided to exclude children from this protocol because the NIH Clinical Center currently does not have any inpatient units capable of treating substance abusing patients who are under the age of 18. Every effort will be made to recruit a similar number of age-matched males and females. The two groups will not be individually matched by age. For example, we will not seek a control subject to match a particular alcoholic patient's age. Instead the two groups will be matched for mean age. We will obtain informed consent from all subjects per NIH guidelines for research studies. INCLUSION CRITERIA - PATIENTS: Age: 18-75 DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse. INCLUSION CRITERIA - CONTROLS: Age: 18-75 EXCLUSION CRITERIA: PATIENTS AND CONTROLS: Other current DSM-IV Axis I diagnostic criteria than alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse. Psychotropic medication or other drugs that may cross the blood brain barrier. Serious organic disease e.g. liver disease. Claustrophobia. Pregnancy. Prior participation in other research protocols within the past year such that a radiation exposure together with the present study would exceed the annual limits. Any condition that increases risk for MRI (e.g., pacemaker, metallic foreign body in the eye, etc.)