NCT05946083

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

The Brain, the Bug, and the Binge: a Double-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Interplay Between Binge Drinking, Gut Microbiota and Brain Functioning

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 82 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Minho · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 23 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed description

The present study protocol aims to determine the interaction between alcohol consumption, brain function and gut microbiota through several levels of analysis, including techniques to measure brain activity (i.e., magnetic resonance imaging), paradigms to measure cognitive performance, collection of stool and blood samples, and questionnaires. Additionally, this study will investigate the relationship between alcohol, brain activity and gut microbiota and how this can be modified through our diet. The sample will be composed by a cohort of young college students (18-23 years) from the University of Minho (UM; Braga, Portugal) selected according to their drinking patterns. Eighty-two participants will be recruited from UM: 36 non/low-drinkers and 46 binge drinkers (BDs) matched for age and gender. Recruitment will be carried out through an online survey broadcasted using the institutional email. This survey will include a simple sociodemographic section and items regarding the use of alcohol (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test - AUDIT, frequency of alcohol consumption, number of drinks consumed on each day of the past week, speed of drinking, etc.). After sample selection, participants will be submitted to the following steps: (1) clinical interview - addresses questions relating to psychological, medical, personal and family history, including questions related to history of alcohol and drug use and some specific questionnaires relating to substance use, as well as those related to physical and psychological symptoms, and personality; (2) neuroimaging assessment - will consist of a structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at the Hospital de Guimarães (Portugal), while performing different cognitive tasks; (3) evaluation of some microorganisms residing in the gut and certain inflammatory markers - each participant will be asked to collect stool and blood samples; (4) evaluation of the potential of an intervention with psychobiotics. Thus, this protocol involves the following phases: 1. pre-intervention, consisting of the assessment of the variables of interest to the study by means of a clinical interview, neuropsychological testing, collection of stool and blood samples, and MRI recordings. 2. intervention (only for BDs), consisting of taking a prebiotic for 6 weeks. Depending on the group to which they will be allocated, the participant will take one of two types of fiber: a fiber with benefits for intestinal bacteria (inulin) or a similar fiber with no specific benefits for the intestinal microbiome (maltodextrin). Each participant will not know which group they belong to in order not to bias the results of the study according to scientific standards. 3. post-intervention, which will consist in the re-assessment of the variables previously assessed in the pre-intervention phase. 4. follow-up, consisting of the assessment and monitoring of levels of alcohol consumption and craving during the 3 months following the intervention phase.

Conditions

• Binge Drinking

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Inulin Intervention	For 6 weeks, 23 binge drinkers will be given a daily dose (divided into three times a day) of 15g of a dietary fiber with benefits for intestinal bacteria (inulin).
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Maltodextrin Intervention	For 6 weeks, 23 binge drinkers will be given a daily dose (divided into three times a day) of 15g of dietary fiber with no specific benefits for the intestinal microbiome (maltodextrin).

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-02-24
• Primary completion: 2025-07-31
• Completion: 2025-11-30
• First posted: 2023-07-14
• Last updated: 2025-07-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Portugal