Active clinical trials for "Cocaine-Related Disorders"

Background: Several studies of risk perception have demonstrated a common bias known as unrealistic optimism, in which individuals feel they are less likely than other people to experience unpleasant or harmful events in their lives, but more likely to experience pleasant or beneficial events. Previous research has indicated that individuals with schizophrenia have less of a sense of unrealistic optimism about adverse events than individuals without schizophrenia. However, research on risk perception in schizophrenia is sparse, primarily reporting on behaviors and decisions in the laboratory that likely are influenced by risk perception. Risk perception among substance users may be viewed in two separate categories: perception of vulnerability to adverse events and perception of vulnerability to negative outcomes associated with substance use. Research in both areas has yielded mixed results. Researchers are interested in studying the connections among schizophrenia, addiction, and risk perception in order to develop better drug use prevention and treatment programs for people with and without schizophrenia. Objectives: - To compare unrealistic optimism bias in people with and without schizophrenia and/or drug dependence, and its association with actual risky behavior. Eligibility: Individuals between 18 and 64 years of age who fall into one of the following study categories: diagnoses of both drug dependence (marijuana or cocaine) and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder diagnosis of drug dependence only (marijuana or cocaine) diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder only healthy volunteers with no history of drug use or serious mental disorder Design: The study will require a single visit to the research center for a 5- to 6-hour session. Participants will complete questionnaires on medical and behavioral history, complete tests of thinking skills like memory and attention, complete a brief computerized decision-making task, and answer questions about risk perception. Participants will also provide urine samples and breath carbon monoxide measurements to test for recent use of tobacco and other substances.

Background: - People who are in treatment for substance abuse often feel distress during the withdrawal period and afterward. Some individuals feel distress more acutely than others, and this distress has been linked to poor treatment outcomes and increased risk of relapse in smokers, alcoholics, and cocaine- and heroin-dependent individuals. More research is needed on the effects of distress on the brain, particularly in individuals who are seeking treatment for substance abuse. Researchers are interested in using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning to study distress tolerance in both substance users seeking treatment and healthy non-drug-using volunteers. Objectives: - To use functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the effectiveness of a distress tolerance assessment. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who are either cocaine dependent or healthy non-drug-using volunteers. Design: This study involves an initial screening visit and a scanning visit, with four followup visits. Participants will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, as well as blood samples and questionnaires about mood and past and current drug use. Participants will have a structural MRI scan of the brain to provide a baseline reading for comparison. Participants will then have an fMRI scanning session, which will include both the distress tolerance assessment and relevant control tasks. Heart rate, blood pressure, and other physical reactions will be monitored throughout the scan. Participants will also provide blood and saliva samples to measure stress hormone levels. Participants will be eligible to have followup assessments with fMRI scanning 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the scanning visit.

The goal of this this study is to elucidate the role of the HPA axis in the pathophysiology of cocaine dependence

There has been recent interest in the role of the 5-HT1B receptor as a possible modulating factor in cocaine dependence, certainly in preclinical models. The Yale Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Center has developed a novel 5-HT1B receptor antagonist radioligand, [11C]-P943, which has been validated in human studies. We hypothesize that the 5-HT1B receptor plays a key role in cocaine dependence. The long term goal of this project would be to study pharmacological manipulation of the 5-HT1B receptor as a potential molecular target for cocaine dependence.

The purpose of this study is to compare individuals with cocaine dependence to recreational users of cocaine in terms of their brain reactivity to cocaine cues, in hopes that this comparison may help us better understand the transition from recreational to compulsive cocaine use.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a medication that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for several medical uses, such as dissolving mucus in patients with breathing problems, treating overdose from acetaminophen (Tylenol), and protecting the kidneys from toxic substances. Some recent studies suggest that NAC could be useful in the treatment of other disorders including addictions. One purpose of this study is to determine whether NAC alters the level of brain glutamate (a chemical that excites brain cells). The other main purpose is to determine whether NAC affects how much cocaine people use.

Qualitative project, comprising open-ended semi-structured interviews with healthcare workers, who provide antenatal care to substance-using women.

Background: - Cocaine affects the brain's ability to process information. However, different people respond to cocaine in different ways, and differences in brain structure and function may affect how cocaine alters brain activity. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity during tasks that provide simple rewards, researchers hope to better understand how the brain responds to rewards and how this response is affected by drugs like cocaine. Objectives: To determine the effect of cocaine administration on the reward experience in cocaine-dependent individuals. To study genetic and personality factors that may contribute to cocaine dependence. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 45 years of age who either are cocaine-dependent and not seeking treatment or are healthy volunteers. Design: Participants will be asked to avoid consuming alcohol and restrict consumption of caffeine prior to the study. Participants provide urine and breath samples to be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study. All participants will complete a training session and at least one fMRI scanning session. During the training session, participants will be introduced to the reward tasks and MRI equipment. Healthy volunteers will have a single fMRI session that will involve reward tasks to be completed during the scanning. Rewards will include small amounts of fruit juice and the opportunity to win money. Cocaine-dependent participants will have a training session and three experimental sessions including 1) a mock MRI scan to test cocaine tolerance, 2) one fMRI scan with reward tasks after administration of IV cocaine, and 3) one fMRI scan with reward tasks after administration of IV placebo (saline solution). Rewards will include small amounts of fruit juice and the opportunity to win money. In addition to the scans, participants will provide a blood sample for further study and will answer questionnaires provided by the researchers.

The Screening Protocol is a system devised to evaluate potential research participants for National Institute on Drug Abuse/Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (NIDA/MPRC) studies.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether maintenance on different oral doses of sustained release d-amphetamine (SR-AMP) combined with constant-dose sublingual buprenorphine (BUP) is safe and well tolerated and decreases self-administration of cocaine alone or combined with hydromorphone (HYD). Secondary aims are to determine whether SR-AMP attenuates the subjective and physiological effects of cocaine during drug sampling periods prior to choice opportunities.