Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33846866›Full record

Trial reportPsychopharmacology2021

Nalmefene attenuates neural alcohol cue-reactivity in the ventral striatum and subjective alcohol craving in patients with alcohol use disorder.

Damian Karl, J Malte Bumb, Patrick Bach, Christina Dinter, Anne Koopmann, Derik Hermann, Karl Mann, Falk Kiefer, Sabine Vollstädt-Klein

Open access · hybridAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorders.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022
    Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Damian KarlDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
J Malte BumbDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Patrick BachDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Christina DinterDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Anne KoopmannDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Derik HermannDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Karl MannDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Falk KieferDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
Sabine Vollstädt-KleinDepartment of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany. s.vollstaedt-klein@zi-mannheim.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6210-672X
Heidelberg University · DEUniversity of Mannheim · DE

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 324164820Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 402170461Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 421888313Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 437718741
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleAlcohol use disorder is a common and devastating mental illness for which satisfactory treatments are still lacking. Nalmefene, as an opioid receptor modulator, could pharmacologically support the reduction of drinking by reducing the (anticipated) rewarding effects of alcohol and expanding the range of treatment options. It has been hypothesized that nalmefene acts via an indirect modulation of the mesolimbic reward system. So far, only a few imaging findings on the neuronal response to nalmefene are available.

objectivesWe tested the effect of a single dose of 18 mg nalmefene on neuronal cue-reactivity in the ventral and dorsal striatum and subjective craving.

methodsEighteen non-treatment-seeking participants with alcohol use disorder (67% male, M = 50.3 ± 13.9 years) with a current high-risk drinking level (M = 76.9 ± 52 g of pure alcohol per day) were investigated using a cue-reactivity task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study/design. In addition, self-reported craving was assessed before and after exposure to alcohol cues.

resultsAn a priori defined region of interest (ROI) analysis of fMRI data from 15 participants revealed that nalmefene reduced alcohol cue-reactivity in the ventral, but not the dorsal striatum. Additionally, the subjective craving was significantly reduced after the cue-reactivity task under nalmefene compared to placebo.

conclusionIn the present study, reduced craving and cue-reactivity to alcohol stimuli in the ventral striatum by nalmefene indicates a potential anti-craving effect of this drug via attenuation of neural alcohol cue-reactivity.

Indexed as

CuesAdultAlcoholismCravingCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNaltrexoneNarcotic AntagonistsPhotic StimulationProspective StudiesVentral StriatumnalmefeneNaltrexoneNarcotic AntagonistsAlcohol cue-reactivityControlled drinkingHarm reductionOpioid receptorsPharmacotherapyReduced drinkingStriatum

Identifiers

PMID33846866
PMCPMC8292278
OpenAlexW3154565553

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.