NCT01036230

The Effects of Expectation on Natural and Drug -Induced Rewards

Completed Last updated 5 April 2019

What this trial tests

trial in Drug Abuse in 48 participants. Completed in 25 February 2019.

Timeline

24 May 2010

25 February 2019

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Status	Completed
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	48
Start date	24 May 2010
Estimated completion	25 February 2019
Sites	1 location across United States

Conditions studied

• Drug Abuse — all drugs for Drug Abuse →

Sponsor

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Who can join

Adults 18 to 50, any sex, with Drug Abuse. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Background:

* Environmental cues frequently induce expectancies in individuals that may strongly influence the actual experience associated with the cue. This has both positive and negative consequences for behavior and decision making. For instance, when an addicted individual experiences cues associated with imminent drug taking, an expectancy of the coming experience is also formed and very likely has an effect on the subsequent experience of the drug.
* Researchers are interested in studying how the brain responds to these kinds of environmental cues and expectancies in order to learn more about addiction and craving in substance-abusing individuals.

Objectives:

* To compare the response to rewards (both drug-related and non-drug-related) in cocaine users and non-using individuals.
* To study the effect of expectation on reward-related (both drug-induced and non-drug-induced) responses and brain activity in cocaine users and non-using individuals.

Eligibility:

-Individuals between 18 and 45 years of age who are regular cocaine users but otherwise healthy, or healthy individuals who are not cocaine users.

Design:

* This study involves two experiments. Participants will be assigned to one or both experiments.
* Participants must not use any drugs for at least 3 days before the visit, may not consume alcohol for 24 hours before the visit, and may not consume caffeinated beverages for 12 hours before the visit. On the day of the visit, participants will provide both urine and breath samples to test for drug/alcohol use.
* Experiment 1: In the MRI scanner, participants will respond to questions and images on a screen, and will receive small amounts of flavored liquid (chocolate or cherry) through a tube in the mouth.
* Experiment 2: In the MRI scanner, participants will respond to questions and images on a screen, and will receive injections of liquid (saline solution or a drug that provides a high similar to cocaine) through an intravenous line. Participants in this experiment will return for follow-up visits and provide urine samples for further study.
* The specific assignment (to Experiment 1 or Experiment 2 or both experiments) will determine the number of study days and follow-up visits required.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.