This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.This study is the third in a series of experiments examining both the separate and the combined effects of alcohol and serotonin manipulations on two categorically distinct models of behavioral impulsivity (rapid-decision and reward-directed). L-tryptophan manipulations (loading and depletion) have been shown to alter circulating L-tryptophan (precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin) and subsequently temporarily alter central nervous system serotonin levels. To identify the time-course effects of alcohol and L-tryptophan manipulations, healthy men and women will be evaluated at periodic intervals before and after pharmacological intervention. To determine whether rapid-decision and reward-directed models are differentially affected by alcohol and/or serotonin manipulations, each participant will experience all pharmacological conditions (repeated-measures design). In the first two studies of the series, we examined the dose effects of alcohol alone (Experiment 1) and of L-tryptophan manipulations alone (Experiment 2) on behavioral impulsivity. Data collection for Experiments 1 and 2 of this series has been completed. The primary results from Experiment 1 are currently in press, and data from Experiment 2 have not yet been analyzed. In this last study of the series, Experiment 3, we will examine the interactive effects of alcohol and L-tryptophan manipulation on behavioral impulsivity.
The aims of this study are to determine: (1) how a biological state change produced by L-tryptophan manipulation can moderate vulnerability to the behavioral effects of alcohol; (2) how different components of impulsivity (rapid-decision and reward-directed models) are differentially affected by the alcohol and L-tryptophan manipulations; and (3) how baseline responding on these behavioral models relates to one another (accounting for shared and unique variance) and to self-report measures of impulsivity. Combined with Experiments 1 and 2, results of this third study will yield information important to understanding the relationship between alcohol and L-tryptophan and their individual and combined effects on human impulsive behavior. This will provide evidence that serotonin may act as a moderating factor for alcohol-induced behavioral impulsivity. These studies will serve as a basis for further exploration of how the behavioral effects of alcohol impact underlying mechanisms of impulsivity and what factors contribute to the individual differences observed in impulsive behavior after alcohol consumption. This has implications for both the etiology of alcohol-related behavioral disorders and the development of treatments/prevention strategies for these disorders.
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