
The Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelic, N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), on Alcohol Use...
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)Alcohol-Related Disorders1 moreThis proposed study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, laboratory study to determine the effects of DMT, plus psychotherapy, on Alcohol Use Disorder.

Decreasing the Temporal Window in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use DisorderIn the absence of sufficient monetary resources, individuals must attend to immediate, minimum needs (e.g., food, shelter). This constricts one's temporal window and engenders neglect of the future. In observational studies, scarcity is associated with higher rates of delay discounting. Additionally, socioeconomic status is inversely associated with alcohol use disorder and related problems. Experimentally, scarcity shortens attention, impedes cognitive function, and increases delay discounting in multiple populations. Moreover, scarcity increases demand for fast foods in the obese and increases craving for alcohol in problem drinkers. These data suggest that economic scarcity worsens both components of reinforcer pathology (delay discounting and alcohol overvaluation), thus increasing vulnerability to alcohol use disorder. However, the effects of scarcity on alcohol self-administration and on neural networks related to discounting rate have yet to be examined. The purpose of Aim 1b is to examine effects of decreasing the temporal window and its concomitant effects on alcohol valuation (self-administration, demand, and craving). Economic scarcity is hypothesized to increase both alcohol valuation and neural activation of areas associated with the impulsive decision system (e.g., the ventral striatum).

Internalized Stress in Relation to Alcohol Consumption
StressPhysiological3 moreThe proposed study uses an experimental design to establish causal support for the role of internalized stress, pertaining to uncertainty with regard to one's sexual orientation, in contributing to heavy drinking behavior. Following exposure to internalized sexual stigma, physiological and psychological stress responses are expected to increase alcohol consumption in adults who are uncertain about their sexual orientation, especially among females, and following consumption, the physiological effects of ethanol and beliefs about the effects of alcohol are expected to alter relations between exposure to sexual stigma and the alleviation of psychological distress. Showing that physiological stress responses, whether driven by the pharmacological effects of ethanol or expectancies regarding its effects, can account for known alcohol-use disparities, particularly in bisexual/bi+ communities, would contribute a great deal to knowledge on the biology of addiction and inform subsequent interventions that seek to regulate stress reactivity.

Effect of an Internet-based Dialectical Behaviour Therapy-informed Skills Training for Adult Drinkers...
Alcohol DrinkingTo determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an internet-based DBT-ST for reducing alcohol consumption and improving psychological distress/emotional regulation in adult drinkers To explore the participants' experiences and perceptions of the proposed intervention

Psilocybin-Assisted vs Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use DisorderThis pilot study will collect preliminary data that measures the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs ketamine-assisted psychotherapy on patients struggling with alcohol use.

Integrating Care for Patients With Alcohol Liver Disease and Alcohol Use Disorders
Alcohol; LiverAlcohol related liver disease (ALD) contributes to 50% cases of cirrhosis worldwide and is the leading indication for liver transplant in North America. The treatment for ALD is achieving total alcohol abstinence and preventing relapse as medical and surgical options are limited when drinking continues. Patient care has been hindered by the isolation of Addiction Medical Services from Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Hepatology. Patients with ALD would benefit from multidisciplinary approach as it combines medical care of liver disease and management of addiction and mental health. The investigators aim to develop a patient-centered integrated care pathway supported by expertise from Hepatology, Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry to improve access to addiction services for patients with ALD. By participating in the services, patients will experience decreased substance use, psychological symptoms, and improved health-related quality of life, with greater patient and provider satisfaction.

Implementing Mobile Technology for Unhealthy Alcohol Use
Alcohol DrinkingScalable approaches are needed to support patients identified in the emergency department as unhealthy alcohol users and text messaging intervention approaches are a promising solution. However, the process of providers making text messing interventions for unhealthy alcohol use available to patients in an efficient way within already busy and overburdened emergency department workflows (i.e., implementation in real-world emergency department settings) and patients adopting them remains a new area of research. Study investigators will examine barriers and facilitators to the adoption of text messaging interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in emergency departments and use a stakeholder-engaged process to develop and test practical implementation strategies that could provide much needed support to patients who screen positive while reducing burden on emergency departments.

Diclofenac as a KMO Inhibitor
Alcohol Use DisorderThis mechanistic, proof of concept laboratory study will test the pharmacological properties of diclofenac in individuals with AUD. Participants will complete two sessions in which they will receive a single dose of diclofenac (100 mg) or matched placebo in a randomized and double blind fashion. The primary aim is to assess whether this dose of diclofenac, vs. placebo, increases circulating levels of kynurenic acid. This finding would provide evidence that diclofenac (100 mg) inhibits the kynurenine 3-monooxygenase enzyme.

HLAB-002 of ANS-6637 for Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Use DisorderPrimary: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2 different doses of ANS-6637, 200 mg (given as 2 x 100 mg tablets) and 600 mg (given as 2 x 300 mg tablets) once a day, and matched placebo, on alcohol cue-elicited alcohol craving during a human laboratory paradigm after 1 week of daily dosing among subjects with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) as confirmed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5™). Secondary: Secondary objectives included evaluation of ANS-6637 200 mg, ANS-6637 600 mg, and matched placebo on reduction of alcohol consumption, alcohol craving, cigarette smoking (among smokers) and nicotine use (among nicotine users), mood, sleep, alcohol use negative consequences, study retention, and safety and tolerability throughout the last 4 weeks of the treatment phase of the study.

The Rise of Ride Sharing Companies and Trends in Impaired Driving Accidents
Ride SharingAlcohol Drinking4 moreThis will be a retrospective study with data collected from the trauma registry. We plan to complete the data collection and analysis by 12/31/2020. Data on ride sharing will be obtained from the Uber and Lyft websites. Data pertaining to number of alcohol- and drug-related motor vehicle (and auto-ped) collisions will be obtained from the Texas Department of Transportation website, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and the Transformation of Public Transit, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the U.S. Department of Transportation website (or equivalent). Sexual assault data will be obtained as available the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) database as well as from Turning Point Rape Crisis Center and surrounding hospitals in the Dallas area as well as the Uber report for sexual assaults.