NCT00300638

Alcoholism: Emotion and Thinking

Affective and Conative Changes in Alcoholism

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 599 (actual)
• Sponsor: Boston University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 25 Years – 76 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether long-term chronic alcoholism is associated with changes in emotional functioning and brain structure and function.

Detailed description

This research investigates brain structure and function in alcoholics compared to healthy nonalcoholic individuals. Alcoholics have shown impairments in cognitive processing of emotional signals. Some alcoholics are impaired in social skills, and many are unable to implement the strategies for interpersonal interactions that they recommend for themselves. For example, alcoholics have difficulty interpreting non-verbal emotional cues and recognizing facial expressions of emotion. When listening to sentences, alcoholics also have some difficulty judging emotional intonations and emotional content. In our research, we are trying to understand where in the brain these emotional behaviors take place, and whether or not the brain functions differently for alcoholic and nonalcoholic individuals. We present emotional words and pictures on a computer screen, and using MRI scans, we observe how the brain works when people purposefully respond to the words and pictures. Additionally, we are comparing brain structure and activation patterns in men and women, because there may be gender differences in responses to emotional stimuli.

Conditions

• Alcoholism

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)	We present emotional words and pictures on a computer screen, and using MRI scans, we observe how the brain works when people purposefully respond to the words and pictures. Additionally, we are comparing brain structure and activation patterns in men and women, because there may be gender differences in responses to emotional stimuli.
BEHAVIORAL	Interviews, cognitive tests, and emotional measurements	We present emotional words and pictures on a computer screen, and using MRI scans, we observe how the brain works when people purposefully respond to the words and pictures. Additionally, we are comparing brain structure and activation patterns in men and women, because there may be gender differences in responses to emotional stimuli.

Timeline

• Start date: 2001-08-01
• Primary completion: 2020-02-21
• Completion: 2020-02-21
• First posted: 2006-03-09
• Last updated: 2021-07-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States