Tiagabine challenge [11C]-Ro15 4513 PET in Alcohol Dependence
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation of the effects of acute Tiagabine administration on GABA-A receptors in Alcohol Dependence using [11C]-Ro15 4513 GABA-A PET radioligand
IRAS ID
174136
Contact name
Anne Lingford- Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Regulatory Compliance, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Drinking alcohol is a widely socially accepted behaviour. However, a growing number of people drink in a harmful manner. In the UK, the prevalence of alcohol dependence is about 4%. This psychiatric disorder is characterised by withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, persistent desire to drink and continuing drinking despite negative consequences. Identifying the neurochemical mechanisms which underlie alcohol dependence is important for understanding both the causes of this disorder itself and the development of addictive behaviour in general.
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of a specific brain messenger system, called “the GABA system”, in male individuals addicted to alcohol and age-matched healthy controls. Our previous research has shown there is a specific role of the GABA system in the mechanisms involved in addiction to alcohol.
A previous Positron Emission Tomography (PET) study in Healthy Volunteers using Tiagabine, an anti-epileptic drug, showed that this method could be used to measure changes in the levels of GABA inside the synapse by showing a reduction in the binding of the radioactive agent [11C]-Ro15 4513. Two PET scans are required to measure these changes, one scan to measure the baseline levels and one scan after giving a dose of Tiagabine.
Although the PET scans can tell us about the GABA system, it does not give very detailed information about where the changes caused by Tiagabine are located in the brain. Therefore, we will be using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to take precise structural pictures of the brain and will also measure brain activation during performance of tasks of relevance for addiction processes.REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1482
Date of REC Opinion
28 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion