Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Nutritional Ketosis on Alcohol Metabolism

The research study is being conducted in health controls to better understand the effects of ketosis on brain functioning after 3 different, randomly assigned, 3-day dietary interventions and the acute effects of alcohol after consuming about 4-5 alcohol beverages. The labs visits will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to study the brain, measuring levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), lactate, neurotransmitters glutamate, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

Alcohol, Psychoactive Drugs, Analgesics and Evaluation in Penetrating Abdominal Trauma

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate whether alcohol consumption, psychoactive drug use, or prior administration of analgesics affects the clinical evaluation and surgical decision-making process in patients with penetrating abdominal trauma. The study will be conducted in two level I trauma centers in Cali, Colombia: a public university hospital and a private university hospital, both with high volumes of trauma patients and established protocols for non-operative management using serial physical examination. In many trauma centers, serial physical examination is used to safely identify patients who require surgical intervention. However, there is concern that intoxication or altered mental status may reduce the reliability of physical examination, potentially leading to unnecessary imaging studies, delays in surgical decision-making, or non-therapeutic laparotomies. Despite this concern, available evidence supporting these assumptions is limited. Patients older than 14 years with penetrating abdominal trauma who undergo clinical evaluation to decide on surgical intervention. Patients will be classified according to the presence or absence of alcohol consumption, psychoactive substance use, or prior analgesic administration. The primary outcome is the time from hospital admission to the decision for surgical intervention. Secondary outcomes include trauma severity, need for surgery, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay, complications, and mortality. By comparing patients with and without substance exposure across two different trauma care settings, this study seeks to determine whether serial physical examination remains a reliable and safe method for clinical decision-making in this population. The results may help optimize evaluation strategies, reduce unnecessary surgical procedures and diagnostic tests, and improve the standardization of care for patients with penetrating abdominal trauma.

Alcohol and Sexual Communication Among Couples in the Laboratory

Intimate Partner Sexual Violence (IPSV) is a significant and understudied public health problem among couples, yet little is known about factors that contribute to IPSV perpetration. This proposal aims to determine the acute effect of alcohol and sexual communication on IPSV. In this study, 240 couples who drink alcohol will be recruited from the Metro-Denver area. Upon arrival to the laboratory, a trained research assistant will check the participant's ID, verify that they adhered to the pre-session guidelines, administer a breath test to ensure a breath alcohol content (BrAC) of 0.00 and conduct a field sobriety test. They will also obtain informed consent for each member of the couple separately. Female participants will take a pregnancy test to ensure a negative result. All participants will complete measures to reverify eligibility criteria and be weighed to determine their correct alcohol dose. Partners will separately complete a baseline survey measuring demographic factors, alcohol use, sexual communication, and daily experiences. After completing the survey, participants will be assigned a beverage condition (alcohol or no-alcohol control) and couples will be randomly assigned to a communication condition (direct verbal or indirect verbal). Participants will be seated in a room separate from their partner, where they will drink an alcoholic or no-alcohol control beverage. Upon reaching a breath alcohol content (BrAC) of .07, or immediately after drinking in the No-Alcohol control condition, participants will complete a laboratory assessment of sexual violence. The main hypotheses are: (1) one's alcohol use will increase IPSV toward partners who are also drinking, (2) one's alcohol use will increase IPSV among partners who use indirect, relative to direct, communication, and (3) actor alcohol use will increase IPSV toward partners who are also drinking and use indirect, relative to direct, communication.

Vaporized Cannabis Administration and Co-Administration of Alcohol on Impairment

This human laboratory study will use cognitive, behavioral, and subjective measures to characterize impairment associated with co-use of alcohol and vaporized cannabis. Participants (n=32) will complete 7 double-blind, double-dummy outpatient sessions in randomized order. In each session, participants will self-administer placebo (0 mg THC) or active vaporized cannabis (5 or 25 mg THC, via a handheld vaporizer called the Mighty Medic) and a placebo drink (BAC 0.0%) or alcohol drink calculated to produce a breath alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05%. Participants will also complete a positive control session in which the participant administers placebo cannabis and alcohol at a target BAC of 0.08% (the legal threshold for driving impairment in most U.S. states).

Alcohol and the Social Brain: An Alcohol-Administration Hyperscanning Study Employing a Within-Subject Design

The study investigates the effects of alcohol consumption on social and individual behaviors using a within-subject design. Participants, aged 21-30, will attend two laboratory sessions approximately one week apart, participating as part of a dyad (pair). During one session, they will consume an alcoholic beverage, while in the other, they will receive a control beverage, with the order of conditions randomized. This design facilitates direct within-participant comparisons of behaviors and neural activity in intoxicated versus sober states. To achieve these aims, the study employs EEG technology to explore intra-brain and inter-brain dynamics during social interactions. Additionally, validated self-report questionnaires will capture data on mood, social bonding, and other psychological variables. The findings are expected to enhance understanding of alcohol's role in social reward processes and contribute to developing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies for alcohol use disorder.

WayToServePlus: Improving Responsible Alcohol Service Ph II

Responsible beverage service (RBS) training for alcohol servers is a promising intervention for reducing driving while intoxicated (DWI) by alcohol. Training, certification, and in-service contact improves professionalism and effectiveness of prevention interventions delivered by community members such as alcohol servers. This SBIR Fast-track project will develop and test an in-service professional development component to the WayToServe® online RBS training to improve the effectiveness of RBS training in order to make further gains in reducing problem alcohol behavior in communities.

Towards a Wearable Alcohol Biosensor: Examining the Accuracy of BAC Estimates From New-Generation Transdermal Technology Using Large-Scale Human Testing and Machine Learning Algorithms

The study will employ a combined laboratory-ambulatory design. Participants will engage in ambulatory assessment over the course of 14 days, wearing biosensors assessing transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) and providing breathalyzer readings in real-world contexts. Also during this period, participants will attend three laboratory alcohol-administration sessions scheduled at one-week intervals, with alcohol dose and rate of consumption manipulated within and between participants, respectively. Laboratory visits will also double as ambulatory orientation, check-in, and close-out sessions.

Suicide Intervention for Alaska Native Youth

Two interventions will be delivered virtually to American Indian/Alaska Native youth who have been hospitalized with suicidal attempt, suicidal ideation, or associated risk behaviors, including alcohol-related injury.

Drinking in Young Adult Duos (DYAD) Study

This study examines the role of alcohol use in understanding the dynamics of romantic relationships. Couples will participate in a research session where they consume either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage and complete study tasks. After the session, participants will provide information about their drinking habits, alcohol- and non-alcohol-related experiences, and relationship factors through brief surveys on their smart phones and again at 6-month and 12-month follow-up sessions. The findings from this study aim to improve understanding of alcohol use in close relationships and may inform future strategies for promoting healthier relationships and behaviors.

Behavioral Alcohol Responses (BAR) Study

This study aims to identify risk factors that prospectively predict alcohol problems in young adults.

Alcohol and the Social Brain: an Alcohol-Administration Hyperscanning Study

In this study, the investigators aim to capture inter- and intra-brain mechanisms underlying alcohol reward in novel social context.

Biphasic Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication on Bystander Intervention

The goal of this experimental study is to examine the effect of alcohol, gender, and bystander attitudes on bystander barriers and sexual violence intervention among young adult men and women (age 21-20). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does alcohol intoxication and gender influence bystander barriers and sexual violence intervention? * Does alcohol intoxication have a greater impact on bystander barriers and sexual violence intervention among men, compared to women? * Does alcohol intoxication have a greater impact on bystander barriers and sexual violence intervention among those with higher, compared to lower, prosocial bystander attitudes? Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two beverage conditions (alcohol or control beverage) and those assigned to alcohol will complete the study on either the ascending or descending alcohol limb. Participants will project themselves into a heat-of-the moment, risky sexual violence scenario that will assess bystander barriers and behavioral intentions. Researchers will compare those assigned to the alcohol and control beverage condition and men/women to see if this impacts bystander barriers and sexual violence intervention.

Tracking Mood: The Effects of Daily Mood Tracking VAS on Alcohol Consumption in Adult Heavy Drinkers

The study aims to investigate the effects that mood tracking may have on the alcohol consumption of adults who consume more than 20 UK units of alcohol per week, classifying as high-risk drinkers. The intervention group will track their mood on a daily basis with a visual analogue scale, while the control group will report their daily time spent online. The hypothesis, based on a series of prior pilot studies on alcohol tracking methods, is that mood tracking can reduce alcohol consumption in high-risk drinkers and therefore be a suitable addition to interventions related to decreasing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. The study will be conducted online through the Prolific platform.