Linking Impulsivity Domains and Subjective Response to Alcohol in Young Adults and Using Lab and Daily Assessment Methods

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Young adult alcohol misuse is an urgent, growing public health crisis, especially in young adults, who have the highest alcohol use disorder (AUD) rates of any age group. Interventions for this population are hampered by small effects, few options and lack of tailoring to salient risk factors. A recent review in Addiction argued that research informing interventions has failed to account for the complexity of relationships among factors contributing to young adult alcohol misuse. We will address this gap by examining relationships between two crucial vulnerability factors contributing to alcohol misuse in young adults: impulsive behaviors and high-risk subjective response to alcohol (SR). There is a lack of longitudinal data on impulsivity and SR in young adult samples and until recently, few studies have examined relations between these theoretically-linked constructs. We know impulsivity relates to alcohol, but less about why. Answers to “why” can point to proximal intervention targets. Conversely, we know little about precursors to SR, which could offer distal prevention and intervention targets to address even before onset of alcohol use/misuse. We have exciting preliminary data indicating impulsivity and SR may be related, but the next step is a comprehensive study, designed and powered to compare multiple impulsivity domains as predictors of SR and examine relations between them as longitudinal predictors of alcohol misuse. At two sites, young adults, ages 21-25 (N=250, 50% female), will complete behavioral task and self-report measures of 3 impulsivity domains (poor inhibitory control, delay discounting and negative urgency), then report on 2 aspects of high-risk SR (elevated stimulation, dampened sedation) during placebo-controlled, precision human lab intravenous (IV) alcohol challenge, followed by free-access IV alcohol self-administration. Participants will also complete seven 10-day daily assessment periods over 2 years, including mobile impulsivity assessments and EMA reports of their alcohol use and SR. Recent findings indicate daily changes in impulsivity predict subsequent drinking and consequences. These types of changes are challenging to capture with lab methods only. Daily measures also enable modeling of both person-level individual differences and daily, within-subject effects. However, there are no published studies relating daily impulsivity and SR measures. In this study, we will: 1) determine relations between lab-based impulsivity and SR; 2) determine relations between daily impulsivity and SR; and 3) relate impulsivity and SR to alcohol misuse longitudinally. We hypothesize impulsivity will relate to heightened stimulation and less sedation following alcohol and that SR will mediate relationships between impulsivity and alcohol misuse. Our long-term goal is to create new interventions via back translation to animal models and design, testing and application in randomized trials. This study will advance translational work to uncover therapeutic targets for 2 critical vulnerability factors under-addressed in current young adult alcohol interventions. Thus, we will: 1) identify mechanisms of alcohol action and 2) facilitate prevention and treatment research: two NIAAA priority areas.
StatusActive
Effective start/end date5/15/246/30/27

Funding

  • Ohio State University: $74,574.00

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