. Alcohol dependence is a major public health problem for which existing treatments have limited efficacy. During the previous funding period, our double-blind, placebo-controlled study showed significant effects for gabapentin relative to placebo on drinking, sleep, and mood in recently abstinent alcohol dependent outpatients. We propose to build on these findings using a 3-arm design to study the efficacy of pregabalin (Lyrica) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) relative to placebo for reducing drinking relapse, pregabalin is a newer anticonvulsant/analgesic drug that, like gabapentin, appears to act indirectly on both GABA and glutamate systems to reduce CNS hyperexcitability characteristic of early abstinence from alcohol, and may reduce pathological drinking by stabilizing physiological dysregulation underlying disturbances in mood and sleep, both common precipitants of relapse. Conversely, duloxetine (Cymbalta) is a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressant/analgesic that is hypothesized to act as an indirect serotonin and norepinephrine agonist, and to act on impulsivity circuits including frontal cortex, NA and VTA, which may decrease drinking via regulation of reward-driven impulsivity. A 10-week, double- blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study will be conducted in 150 outpatients with alcohol dependence, with random assignment to pregabalin 300mg/d, duloxetine 40mg/d, or placebo in conjunction with manual- guided behavioral counseling.
The specific aims are: 1.) To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin as a treatment for alcohol dependence relative to double-blind placebo;2.) To evaluate the efficacy and safety of duloxetine as a treatment for alcohol dependence relative to double-blind placebo;and 3.) To test both pregabalin and duloxetine in our cue reactivity lab model to assess the predictive validity of the lab model for determining clinical efficacy. It is hypothesized that treatments targeting different neurobiological substrates underlying dependence will be effective on different phenotypes of the alcohol dependence syndrome.

Public Health Relevance

. Results will provide key information about the efficacy and safety of pregabalin and duloxetine for relapse prevention during early abstinence in outpatients with alcohol dependence, and will provide a heuristic framework for making predictions regarding the interaction of phenotype with different neuropharmacological targets in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award (R37)
Project #
5R37AA014028-09
Application #
7919494
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (NSS)
Program Officer
Litten, Raye Z
Project Start
2003-03-01
Project End
2013-08-31
Budget Start
2010-09-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$625,857
Indirect Cost
Name
Scripps Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
781613492
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
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Mason, Barbara J; Higley, Amanda E (2013) A translational approach to novel medication development for protracted abstinence. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 13:647-70
Mason, Barbara J; Lehert, Philippe (2012) Acamprosate for alcohol dependence: a sex-specific meta-analysis based on individual patient data. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 36:497-508
Higley, Amanda E; Crane, Natania A; Spadoni, Andrea D et al. (2011) Craving in response to stress induction in a human laboratory paradigm predicts treatment outcome in alcohol-dependent individuals. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 218:121-9
Koob, George F; Kenneth Lloyd, G; Mason, Barbara J (2009) Development of pharmacotherapies for drug addiction: a Rosetta stone approach. Nat Rev Drug Discov 8:500-15
Mason, Barbara J; Shaham, Yavin; Weiss, Friedbert et al. (2009) Stress, alcohol craving, and relapse risk: mechanisms and viable treatment targets. Alcohol 43:541-3
Mason, Barbara J; Light, John M; Escher, Tobie et al. (2008) Effect of positive and negative affective stimuli and beverage cues on measures of craving in non treatment-seeking alcoholics. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 200:141-50