ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01625611Updated Aug 10, 2022Results posted

Kappa-PET Imaging and Naltrexone in Alcohol Drinking Behaviors

A Phase 1 interventional study of Naltrexone in Alcohol Drinking, sponsored by Yale University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-08-10.

Primary conditionAlcohol Drinking(the registry's first term)UnverifiedIs this wrong?Alcohol Drinking is a broad heading, used only when no more specific condition is named. No better condition is named, so the registry's term is kept.

Sponsored by Yale University · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
59
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
21 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The primary purpose of the study is to increase our knowledge of receptor function in the brains of people who are heavy drinkers and taking naltrexone (NTX), a medication that has been approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Receptors are special molecules in the brain to which other molecules (neurotransmitters) attach during the normal every-day workings of the brain. Drugs can bind to those receptor molecules as well. Recent evidence suggests that kappa opioid receptors (KOR's) may play an important role in alcohol drinking behavior. This study will try to determine if naltrexone's ability to attach to these receptors is related to its effectiveness. We will use PET (positron emission tomography) for this study. PET is a type of imaging device found in nuclear medicine. It is used for tracking the presence of injected radioactive materials in the body.

02

Conditions studied

  • Alcohol Drinking

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Alcohol
  • Drinking
  • Drinkers
  • Alcohol Drinking
  • Naltrexone
  • Alcohol Dependence
  • Alcohol Abuse
  • Alcohol-Related Disorders
  • Ethanol
  • Alcoholism
03

In context

Alcohol Drinking Unverified

701 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcohol Drinking; 133 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 59 is below the median of 122 across 607 interventional studies indexed under Alcohol Drinking.

Browse Alcohol Drinking studies →

Lead sponsor

Yale University is the lead sponsor of 1,770 studies on the registry; 294 are open to participants now.

Of its 221 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 129 (58%) have results posted.

Compared within Alcohol Drinking, the registry's first condition term, which may not be this study's main condition. Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily. How we classify →

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Ages 21-50
  • Able to read English at 6th grade level or higher and to complete study evaluations
  • Regular alcohol drinker

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals who are seeking alcohol treatment
  • Medical conditions that would contraindicate the use of study medication
  • Regular use of other substances
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
59 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Naltrexone

    Drug: Naltrexone

Interventions

  • Naltrexone 100 mg titrated over one week

    Also known as: Revia

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Occupancy of KOR by NTX and Drinking

    To determine the degree to which occupancy of KORs by a 100 mg/day dose of NTX mediates (influences the strength of) responsivity to NTX treatment in all heavy drinkers.

    Time frame: 6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone

  2. Relationship Between NTX Responsivity and Occupancy of KOR

    To determine whether the relationship between NTX responsivity and occupancy of KOR is different in family history positive vs. family history negative heavy drinkers. Evaluations were done with a logistic regression which included years of drinking (a covariate), family history status, and occupancy of KOR. The logistic model calculated a probability of response, defined as a 50% or greater reduction in drinking after naltrexone, for every participant. Reported outcome is the area under the ROC produced by the model. The closer the value is to 100 percent probability, the better the model is at correctly classifying the observations.

    Time frame: 6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone

Secondary outcomes

  1. Baseline KOR Differences

    To determine if baseline levels of KOR differ between family history positive (FHP) and family history negative (FHN) heavy drinkers and to determine if baseline KOR level is related to either baseline drinking or responsivity to NTX.

    Time frame: at baseline prior to treatment with naltrexone

07

Results

Posted Aug 10, 2022

Participant flow

Participants were recruited from the community through various methods such as flyers and online.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneNaltrexoneHealthy Controls
Started554
Pet scan 1494
Lab 2480
Pet scan 2470
Completed474
Not completed80
Withdrew: No adlib drinks lab 130
Withdrew: Technical issues with pet10
Withdrew: Unable to complete study procedures10
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject30

Outcome measures

PrimaryOccupancy of KOR by NTX and Drinking

To determine the degree to which occupancy of KORs by a 100 mg/day dose of NTX mediates (influences the strength of) responsivity to NTX treatment in all heavy drinkers.

Time frame:
6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone
Reported as:
Mean · % Occupancy
Occupancy of KOR by NTX and Drinking
% OccupancyNaltrexone
Occupancy of KOR by NTX and Drinking92 ± 1
PrimaryRelationship Between NTX Responsivity and Occupancy of KOR

To determine whether the relationship between NTX responsivity and occupancy of KOR is different in family history positive vs. family history negative heavy drinkers. Evaluations were done with a logistic regression which included years of drinking (a covariate), family history status, and occupancy of KOR. The logistic model calculated a probability of response, defined as a 50% or greater reduction in drinking after naltrexone, for every participant. Reported outcome is the area under the ROC produced by the model. The closer the value is to 100 percent probability, the better the model is at correctly classifying the observations.

Time frame:
6-8 days after treatment with naltrexone
Reported as:
Number · percent probability
Relationship Between NTX Responsivity and Occupancy of KOR
percent probabilityNaltrexone
Relationship Between NTX Responsivity and Occupancy of KOR84
SecondaryBaseline KOR Differences

To determine if baseline levels of KOR differ between family history positive (FHP) and family history negative (FHN) heavy drinkers and to determine if baseline KOR level is related to either baseline drinking or responsivity to NTX.

Time frame:
at baseline prior to treatment with naltrexone
Reported as:
Mean · % Occupancy
Baseline KOR Differences
% OccupancyNaltrexone - FH PositiveNaltrexone - FH Negative
Baseline KOR Differences91.2 ± 1.794.2 ± 1.9

Adverse events

Collected over Approximately 3 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Naltrexone0/55 (0%)0/55 (0%)37/55 (67.3%)
Healthy Controls0/4 (0%)0/4 (0%)0/4 (0%)
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 30
Most frequent other events
EventNaltrexoneHealthy Controls
NauseaGastrointestinal disorders19/550/4
HeadacheNervous system disorders9/550/4
VomitingGastrointestinal disorders6/550/4
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders6/550/4
Apetite changeGastrointestinal disorders5/550/4
FatigueGeneral disorders4/550/4
Abdominal discomfortGastrointestinal disorders3/550/4
AnxietyPsychiatric disorders3/550/4
Decreased sex driveReproductive system and breast disorders3/550/4
Feeling highGeneral disorders3/550/4

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)NaltrexoneHealthy ControlsTotal
Mean32 ± 3.935.6 ± 11.433.8 ± 7.7
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)NaltrexoneHealthy ControlsTotal
Female16319
Male31132
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)NaltrexoneHealthy ControlsTotal
Hispanic or Latino808
Not Hispanic or Latino39443
Unknown or Not Reported000
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)NaltrexoneHealthy ControlsTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American22022
White24428
More than one race101
Unknown or Not Reported000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)NaltrexoneHealthy ControlsTotal
United States47451
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Sac, Cmhc
    New Haven, Connecticut 06519, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • de Laat B, Goldberg A, Shi J, Tetrault JM, Nabulsi N, Zheng MQ, Najafzadeh S, Gao H, Kapinos M, Ropchan J, O'Malley SS, Huang Y, Morris ED, Krishnan-Sarin S. The Kappa Opioid Receptor Is Associated With Naltrexone-Induced Reduction of Drinking and Craving. Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Dec 1;86(11):864-871. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.021. Epub 2019 Jun 8. PubMed 31399255 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Feb 2011, a primary completion of Jun 2021 and a completion of Jun 2021. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

Results were first posted in Aug 2022, 1 year 1 month after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jun 19, 2012
First posted
Jun 21, 2012
Start
Feb 2011
Primary completionActual
Jun 30, 2021
CompletionActual
Jun 30, 2021
Results first posted
Aug 10, 2022
Last update
Aug 10, 2022
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 10, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01625611
Lead sponsor
Yale University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 21, 2012
Start date
Feb 2011
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2021
Completion
Jun 30, 2021
Results posted
Aug 10, 2022
Last update
Aug 10, 2022

Study contacts

Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Ph.D.
principal investigator · Yale University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drug tested here: Naltrexone

Start the discussion