Alterations in glutamate neurotransmission are an important target of pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder. Our investigations with glutamate modulators in drug and alcohol dependent individuals suggest that they may exert unique therapeutic effects on dependence-related vulnerabilities and may also address problem drinking in alcohol dependent individuals. The proposed project will expand on our prior research by testing the efficacy of glutamate modulators in a larger population of non-depressed individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD); it also aims to investigate, using a 2 by 2 factorial (2x2) design, the hypothesis that the effects of the glutamate modulator are enhanced when combined with behavioral treatment. It, therefore, has the potential to deepen our understanding of the therapeutic role of glutamate modulators in AUD treatment, as well as to provide further evidence for the efficacy of this novel pharmacotherapy strategy in addressing problem use
The proposed project tests the efficacy of glutamate modulators in non-depressed individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD); the primary hypothesis is that the glutamate modulator being tested reduces heavy drinking days compared to the active control. It also aims to investigate, using a 2 by 2 factorial (2x2) design, the hypothesis that the effects of the glutamate modulator are enhanced when combined with behavioral treatment.