Virtual Reality Alcohol Avoidance Training
Alcohol Use DisorderThe approach-avoidance training program (AATP) has shown preliminary promise as an add-on to standard treatment for alcohol dependence. However, knowledge is lacking as to whether the effectiveness of AATP can be enhanced further when performed in a typical drinking situation. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether approach-avoidance training implemented in a virtual reality bar environment is superior to the classical joystick PC-version of the AATP.
Computer Adaptation of Screening, Brief MET Intervention to Reduce Teen Drinking
Alcohol AbuseTobacco Use Disorder1 moreThe goal of this project is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effect size of a new computerized Motivational Enhancement Therapy (cMET) intervention for alcohol-involved adolescents in primary care.
Neurocognitive Functioning Following The PROMETA® Treatment Protocol In Subjects With Alcohol Dependence...
Alcohol DependenceThis study will test the safety and efficacy of the PROMETA® Treatment Protocol (which includes the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil) in reversing the neurocognitive impairment and this in turn will lead to improved ability to resist alcohol related cues and enhance involvement in psychosocial treatment.
A Comparison of Adolescent Group Therapy and Transitional Family Therapy for Adolescent Alcohol...
Alcohol AbuseAlcohol Dependence3 moreThe purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two psychosocially-based, manual-driven, behavioral modalities. One of these is a standardized version of the established modality of Adolescent Group Therapy (AGT), which includes both psychoeducational and therapeutic components. The other is a state-of-the-art family therapy approach, Transitional Family Therapy (TFT), which integrates management of the current problem with exploration of multigenerational issues. Both approaches have been developed to expressly target adolescent alcohol problems.
Alcoholism: Emotion and Thinking
AlcoholismThe purpose of this study is to determine whether long-term chronic alcoholism is associated with changes in emotional functioning and brain structure and function.
Trial for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence
AlcoholismThe purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two anti-craving medications, naltrexone versus acamprosate, in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Pilot Evaluation of the VetChange Mobile App for Veterans With PTSD Who Engage in Problem Drinking...
Alcohol AbusePost-Traumatic Stress DisorderConcept: Alcohol misuse is common among Veterans with PTSD. It has been proposed that this high comorbidity is the result of "self-medication," with alcohol being used to alleviate common PTSD symptoms (e.g., hyperarousal, sleep problems). Given this high prevalence and functional relationship, researchers at the BSD of the NCPTSD developed the VetChange self-management website to concurrently address these conditions. In a large scale RCT, VetChange has shown efficacy to reduce both alcohol misuse and PTSD symptoms. Unfortunately, the recently launched publicly available VetChange website (Vetchange.org) has been plagued by a high rate of visitors not completing the mandatory registration process, which is required for repeated use. Based on the promising findings of the VetChange research, the D&T Division partnered with the BSD Division to develop the VetChange mobile app, which is set to be released to the public very soon. However, unlike the VetChange website, the app has not yet been evaluated and has the advantage of allowing users to easily obtain it without having to register and repeatedly log on through an Internet connection. This research partnership between the D&T and BSD Divisions will extend and enhance an ongoing successful cross-center collaboration in a high priority topic for the larger Center. The purpose of this proposal is to conduct a pilot evaluation of the VetChange mobile app in order to test its feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy to reduce alcohol consumption, PTSD severity, and improve psychosocial functioning among Veterans with PTSD who exhibit signs of problem drinking. In this study, 280 Veterans with problem drinking and clinically significant PTSD symptoms will be recruited using social media and randomized in equal numbers to receive one of four conditions: 1) Assessment only, 2) VetChange mobile app only, 3) AFT plus the VetChange mobile app supplemented with a package of supportive accountability tools (VetChange+). In addition to receiving the mobile app, VetChange+ participants will receive SMS reminders to log drinking behavior using the mobile app. The investigators will track objective use of the VetChange mobile app to assess feasibility, and this usage data will also be used in real-time to tailor the content of text messages provided to participants in the VetChange+ condition. Participants will complete measures of alcohol use, functional well-being, and PTSD symptoms at baseline and again after 8 weeks (posttreatment). At post-treatment, participants in the VetChange app arms of the study will also be asked to report their level of satisfaction with the app and to complete a brief qualitative evaluation of their experience using the VetChange mobile app. Results of this pilot study will be used to characterize the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a mobile app-based self-management intervention to reduce problem drinking behavior in Veterans with PTSD, will inform optimization of the intervention, and will serve as the foundation for subsequent proposals for extramural funding.
A Clinical Trial on the Efficacy of tDCS) in Reducing Alcohol Consumption in Non-abstinent Patients...
Alcoholic IntoxicationChronicThe study evaluates the efficacy of 1 week of tDCS (5 sessions) placebo in reducing alcohol consumption within the 24 weeks following the treatment in non-abstinent patients with alcohol use disorders versus placebo.
cSBIRT to Reduce Teen Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use
Tobacco AbuseAlcohol Abuse1 moreIn this project we will conduct a pilot study of a brief intervention to reduce teen tobacco, alcohol and drug use that primary care dental practitioners can provide in their offices.
Alcohol Early Intervention for Freshmen
Alcohol AbuseAlcohol abuse among college students is a significant and long-standing public health issue. The transition into college is marked by substantial increases in alcohol abuse and problems, suggesting the importance of interventions that take place prior to and immediately following matriculation. To date, early interventions with this population have yielded modest results with very little evidence identifying either the factors that are responsible for observed effects or specific individual or situational factors that qualify intervention efficacy. There is preliminary evidence for the efficacy of individualized feedback (IF) in reducing college student alcohol abuse. Additionally, a sizeable body of research with early adolescents and emerging work with college students point to the utility of parent-based interventions (PBI). The major aim of this research is to provide the first test of the unique and combined efficacy of these two successful interventions in reducing alcohol abuse among matriculating college students.