Protocol Number: 98-AA-0056

Title:

Functional Neuroanatomy of Positive and Negative Affect in Alcoholics and Non-Alcoholics

Number:

98-AA-0056

Summary:

This study was designed to learn more about the areas of the brain involved in the experience of positive and negative emotions.

Patients who would like to participate in this study will first undergo a screening process to see if they will be eligible for the study. Patients eligible to participate in the study will go through two sessions.

During session one, researchers will attempt to evoke positive and negative emotions by showing patients slides of different emotion-arousing stimuli (pictures of pleasant and unpleasant scenes). While patients are viewing these slides, researchers will be measuring patient's heart rate, sweating, and eye-blinking.

During session two, patients will undergo an MRI of the brain while seeing similar emotion-arousing pictures as in session one. In addition, patients may be asked to play a simple computer game for a reward of money while researchers use the MRI to measure brain activity.

Researchers hope to develop methods to evoke positive and negative emotions and simultaneously (at the same time) see brain activation in normal volunteers, alcoholics, and recovered alcoholics.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Active Accrual Of New Subjects

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: No

Population Exclusion(s): None

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Adult subjects will participate only if they:

Are physically healthy.

Are between 12-65 years of age.

Have 20/20 vision or wear corrective contact lenses.

Have no ferromagnetic objects in their bodies which might be adversely affected by MRI (e.g. surgical clips; metal fragments in or near brain; eye or blood vessels; cardiac or neurological pacemaker; cochlear or eye implant - any doubt about presence of these objects will result in exclusion from this study).

Test HIV negative (since AIDS-related dementia compromises brain function).

Have no indication of any organic brain syndrome.

Do not meet criteria for any present or past Axis I psychiatric disorder other than: nicotine dependence or alcoholism or disorders secondary to clinically-significant alcohol use.

Have no active homicidal or suicidal ideation, or active symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Are not currently receiving psychotropic medication for emotional distress.

Have no indication of recent drug use.

Are not pregnant or lactating.

Adolescents will be subject to the same screening criteria. However, diagnosis of DSM-IV Axis I disorders Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, and Mood Disorders will not be exclusion criteria in adolescent subjects.

Special Instructions: Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

Brain Imaging

Affect

Limbic System

Cerebral Blood

Alcoholism

Emotion

Brain

Operant

Autonomic

Relapse

Recruitment Keywords:

Normal Volunteer

Conditions:

Alcoholism

Healthy

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Contacts:

Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office
Building 61
10 Cloister Court
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4754
Toll Free: 1-800-411-1222
TTY: 301-594-9774 (local),1-866-411-1010 (toll free)
Fax: 301-480-9793

Electronic Mail:prpl@mail.cc.nih.gov

Citations:

Response and habituation of the human amygdala during visual processing of facial expression

Dopamine and the structure of personality: Relation of agonist-induced dopamine activity to positive emotionality

Activation of memory circuits during cue-elicited cocaine craving

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
• Technical questions regarding the Clinical Center web site, please contact the Department of Networks and Applications, CC.

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Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 10/23/2004