Clinical Research Directory

Reducing Blood Pressure in Mid-life Adult Binge Drinkers

This study has two phases: Phase 1 is to examine blood pressure, microvascular function, and sympathetic nerve activity in mid-life adult binge drinkers vs. alcohol abstainers/moderate drinkers. Phase 2 is to examine the effect of 8-week aerobic exercise training on blood pressure, microvascular function, and sympathetic nerve activity in mid-life adult binge drinkers

Open Pilot Trial Evaluating an Avatar-Guided Intervention for Emerging Adults With Alcohol Use Problems and Suicide Risk

This study is an open pilot usability trial to test the 1) usability of a newly developed mobile health intervention to help manage suicidal ideation and alcohol use problems and 2) feasibility of research protocols with emerging adults (18-29 year-olds) who present to the emergency department.

Alcohol-ROC-Training

The goal of the proposed study is to examine whether brief training in regulation of craving (ROC-T) affects alcohol drinking. The study will consist of a basic screening (phone and online), and in person visit to determine eligibility and conduct pre-intervention baseline assessments, 1-4 training (ROC-T) visits, a post-intervention assessment visit, and 1-2 phone/online follow up assessments.The two active conditions of ROC-T are based on cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) and mindfulness-based treatments (MBT).

Alcohol Consumption: Norms, Identities, & Motivations

The emergence of new problematic alcohol consumption practices among young people requires new dynamics in prevention strategies. In this context, the ADUC project (Alcohol and Drugs at the University of Caen) aims to develop a better understanding of alcohol consumption, and in particular the practice of binge drinking (BD), in order to develop relevant and adapted prevention tools. The ALCONIM study (IRESP funding; Agreement 20II31-00 - ADUC part 3) is a randomized controlled trial that focuses on the specific determinants of norms, identities and motivations. The main objective of this experiment in social psychology is to validate a program for the prevention of BD practices based on motivational interviewing (MI) associated with induced hypocrisy (IH), social identity mapping (SIM) and motivational modeling (MM) in a student environment.

Peer-Led Intervention To Reduce Alcohol Binge Drinking Among University Students In Romania

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a behavioural intervention to change binge drinking habits in university students in Romania is feasible. The main research question is: Is a peer-led Alcohol Brief Intervention feasible to be implemented in a Romanian University to reduce binge drinking among students? Researchers will compare brief intervention (counselling) to no intervention. Student participants will: 1. Receive brief counselling for 15-20 minutes by their peers who were trained. 2. Report their alcohol consumption levels in three surveys conducted over three months.

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.

The Brain, the Bug, and the Binge: the Interplay Between Binge Drinking, Gut Microbiota, and Brain Functioning

Adolescence and youth are periods of significant maturational changes which seems to involve greater susceptibility to disruptive events in the brain such as binge drinking (BD). This prevalent pattern of consumption -characterized by repeated alcohol intoxications- is of special concern, as it has been associated with major neurocognitive impairments in the young brain. Recent studies indicate that alcohol may disrupt the gut microbiota (GM) and that these disruptions may lead to impairments in brain and behavior. Also, interventions with psychobiotics have been shown to result in reductions in alcohol-induced damage and in improvements on cognitive and brain functioning. Thus, the present proposal will explore the effects of BD on GM. Additionally, a GM intervention with psychobiotics both in-vivo and in-vitro, will determine whether improvements in GM composition/function may lead to reductions of alcohol-induced brain damage in BD-population, a barely unexplored research field with major clinical applications.

Smartphone Application for University Students With Binge Drinking Behavior

Alcohol use is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases and injury conditions (see ICD-10) and in France, alcohol is the first cause of hospitalization. Binge drinking (BD) has emerged as a major public health issue among student populations and is associated with negative consequences and social, cognitive and brain alterations. More than half of French university students have reported BD in the past month and are at increased risk of several alcohol-related consequences such as memory and sleep impairments, and reduced quality of life. BD is also a major risk factor in the development of alcohol addiction, with individual and environmental factors playing a role that is still poorly understood. Moreover, most students and young adults are reluctant to seek interventions when it is provided by health care professionals (only 4-5%) and have poor insight with regard to their alcohol use patterns / habits. Thus, there is an urgent need for developing effective prevention and intervention programs to reduce alcohol drinking in students. Recent studies have demonstrated that new types of technology-delivered interventions are promising tools for addressing unhealthy alcohol use. For example, an uncontrolled trial pilot study using a smartphone application-delivered intervention produced a reduction in both number of drinks per week and BD from baseline to 3-month follow-up. A recent review also showed significant outcomes of a mobile health intervention for self-control of unhealthy alcohol use. The investigators hypothesize that a timeline follow-back and personalized feedback based on the use of a mobile application can reduce excessive alcohol intake at 3-months. This study will provide scientific knowledge about BD in students, but also regarding a new type of intervention that could be effective for prevention in non-treatment seeking individuals and reducing the severity of health problems associated with excessive alcohol intake.

Brief Binge Eating and Drinking Online Intervention

This pilot project targets both binge drinking and binge eating behavior in college students through a mobile-based online program that provides students with evidence-based intervention material designed to reduce the incidence of both behaviors and encourage students to seek more formal in-person counseling.

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.

Text-Based Messaging Strategies for Preventing Subsequent Problematic Alcohol Use

Binge drinking, and its health/social consequences are substantial public health concerns, with a high prevalence in young adults, especially in the US military. Alcohol consumption in the military is very high and normative, but there is zero tolerance for alcohol-related legal trouble, and Air Force Airmen who experience this (e.g., DUI, sexual assault) typically receive a disciplinary action referred to as an Alcohol Related Incident (ARI). Brief Alcohol Interventions (BAIs) for alcohol misuse are effective in young adults who report binge drinking. Many BAI studies targeted young adults who drink hazardously; these individuals are typically not interested in abstaining but may try decreasing the amount or change the manner in which they drink in order to reduce harmful consequences. The investigators previously published the results of a BAI group-based intervention that reduced ARIs in over 150,000 Airmen on average by 16%. Since 2010, the BAI has been disseminated to most USAF Airmen in Technical Training. However, it is clear additional research is needed to enhance the efficacy of the intervention and reduce risks associated with problem drinking. One strategy to improve health outcomes is well-timed, tailored, and automated text messages. Building on the researchers' preliminary study where text messages reduced driving after drinking as well as total drinks consumed before driving, text messaging may be highly effective when sent at the precise time that Airmen gain access to alcohol (the first time they are allowed off base), a standard time for all Technical Trainees. One challenge to conducting alcohol research in the military is the lack of privileged communication. As a result, it is difficult to obtain valid self-reports due to a tendency to deny or minimize use. The investigators recently developed and validated a method for collecting anonymous data over time. This will be the first study in the military, as well as the first large scale, adequately powered trial, where intervention effects will be tracked out to a 6-month follow-up. The study's Specific Aims are to randomize approximately 3000 Airmen to either the current BAI versus the BAI+Text messages timed to occur before, during, and after Airmen have access to alcohol; and to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention at the end of training and 6 months post-training using repeated surveys with unique identifiers allowing researchers to match surveys while maintaining anonymity.

Substance Use Screening to Encourage Behavior Change Among Young People in Primary Care

This study evaluates whether completing a short screening questionnaire about health behaviours in the waiting room before a primary care consultation decreases excessive substance use in young people aged 14 to 24 years. Young people consulting a primary care physician will randomly receive either a questionnaire about substance use or a questionnaire about physical activity. They will be contacted again 3, 6 and 12 months later and asked to complete a questionnaire about substance use. The proportion of young people with excessive substance use in each group will be compared. The researchers hypothesise that at three months this proportion will be lower in the group of young people having completed the initial questionnaire about substance use when compared to the group having completed the questionnaire about physical activity.