Estradiol Effects on Alcohol Across the Menstrual Cycle

Summary

This study will provide the first rigorous integrative test of the hypothesis that rapid rises in estradiol (a female hormone) increase the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of alcohol and that such increased sensitivity correlates with increased alcohol use. Identification of the behavioral mechanisms by which estradiol surges can increase alcohol use would provide a critical advancement of neurobiological theory of alcohol abuse in women, an understudied area, as well as provide new directions for personalization of alcohol abuse treatment in women.

In this study, naturally-cycling women will be examined daily over their menstrual cycle using an integrative combination of daily ecological assessments of hormone fluctuations and alcohol use along with strategically-timed laboratory tests of their acute sensitivity to the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of a controlled dose of alcohol.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use, Unspecified

Interventions

DRUG

Placebo

Participants will attend two identical laboratory sessions to test sensitivity to the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of a controlled dose of alcohol, once during the early follicular phase and once during the late follicular phase. The test battery consists of measures of rewarding effects and alcohol (or placebo) effects on disinhibition and impulsive choice. The placebo consists of 300 ml of lemon-flavored soda with a small amount (3 ml) of alcohol floated on top.

DRUG

Alcohol

Participants will attend two identical laboratory sessions to test sensitivity to the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of a controlled dose of alcohol, once during the early follicular phase and once during the late follicular phase. The test battery consists of measures of rewarding effects and alcohol effects on disinhibition and impulsive choice. The alcohol dose consists of 0.60 g/kg absolute alcohol that produces a peak blood-alcohol concentration of 80 mg/dl. Doses will be mixed with a carbonated, non-caffeinated, lemon-flavored soda and consumed within 10 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  collaborator NIH

• Mark Fillmore

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mark Fillmore, PhD · University of Kentucky

• Michelle Martel, PhD · University of Kentucky

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

21 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-03-15

Primary Completion

2024-11-06

Completion

2024-11-06

Countries

• United States

Study Locations