This resubmitted application is a request for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (KO1) from NIAAA. My commitment to a research career, together with my interest in receiving specialized training to conduct high quality research in the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence make a KO1 award the optimum funding source at this stage of my career. With funding from a KO1, I learn how to independently design, implement and analyze behavioral pharmacology studies with human subjects. I will work closely with my mentor, Dr. Robert Swift, and with other core faculty members at Brown University's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies (CAAS). Part of my didactic training will include participating in all CAAS academic program activities. I will also regularly present at international conferences in my field. The primary aim of the research proposed in this application is to develop methods for assessing the behavioral mechanisms underlying medication-induced decreases in alcohol intake in humans. Although new medications are being introduced to control alcohol intake in alcoholics, little is known about how these medications actually change the effects of alcohol in people. Two studies are proposed to assess alcohol effects that are often considered to be important to maintaining problem drinking and precipitating relapse drinking. The first study will develop behavioral measures of stimulation in social drinkers using a controlled, laboratory alcohol administration protocol. The second study will apply these behavioral measures of stimulation and further develop our behavioral measures of urge in social drinkers using a field a alcohol self-administration protocol. The utility of these behavioral measures of stimulation and urge will be assessed by pre-treating subjects with one of three doses of naltrexone (NTX). NTX is a pharmacotherapy that decreases alcohol-induced subjective stimulation, alcohol craving and alcohol intake. In summary, this period of funding will be used to: 1) provide me with the necessary training to begin an independent research career in alcohol abuse and dependence; 2) develop new methods for measuring alcohol's effects on stimulation and craving; and 3) assess the effects of different doses of NTX on these behaviors.
| Froehlich, Janice; O'Malley, Stephanie; Hyytia, Petri et al. (2003) Preclinical and clinical studies on naltrexone: what have they taught each other? Alcohol Clin Exp Res 27:533-9 |
| Davidson, Dena; Tiffany, Stephen T; Johnston, William et al. (2003) Using the cue-availability paradigm to assess cue reactivity. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 27:1251-6 |
