Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34486130›Full record

Trial reportAlcoholism, clinical and experimental research2021

Alcohol use disorder severity moderates clinical response to varenicline.

Suzanna Donato, ReJoyce Green, Lara A Ray

Open access · greenAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 12% 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, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Cholinergic regulation of prolonged alcohol withdrawal differs by sex.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  2. Quality of life measures in treatment for active substance misuse: a scoping review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
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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

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Suzanna DonatoDepartment of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
ReJoyce GreenDepartment of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Lara A RayDepartment of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5734-9444
University of California, Los Angeles · US

Funding

UCLA Training Program in Translational Neuroscience of Drug Abuse (TNDA)T32DA024635 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI LARA A. RAY, Kate M Wassum · 2008 to 2026
$6.2M
Clinical Neuroscience of Alcoholism: Integrating Neuroscience and Clinical TrialsK24AA025704 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI LARA A. RAY · 2018 to 2026
$1.3M
NIAAA NIH HHS K24 AA025704NIAAA NIH HHS K24AA025704NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA024635NIDA NIH HHS T32DA024635
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn a multisite clinical trial, varenicline was effective in reducing drinking in both smoking and non-smoking patients with alcohol dependence. Because alcohol use disorder (AUD) is heterogeneous, research aimed at characterizing features associated with treatment response could advance personalized pharmacotherapy. The current study examined the utility of a multidimensional assessment of AUD severity to identify responders to varenicline treatment.

methodsThe study utilized data from a 13-week, Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multisite trial of varenicline in 200 alcohol-dependent patients. Four hypothesized measures of AUD severity (i.e., DSM-IV criterion count, withdrawal, craving, and alcohol-related consequences) were combined into a single severity factor. A series of multilevel models that included the severity factor were conducted to examine its effects on treatment outcomes.

resultsAll hypothesized indices of AUD severity loaded significantly onto a singular severity factor. Among low-severity groups, varenicline treatment significantly reduced drinking (i.e., percent heavy drinking days, drinks per day, and drinks per drinking day) and, in the lowest severity group, it improved the mental health component of quality of life more than placebo. The most severe group showed no differences between the varenicline and placebo groups on drinking or quality of life measures.

conclusionsTreatment response to varenicline may be greater among individuals with less-severe AUD, as evidenced by both reductions in drinking outcomes and improvements in psychosocial functioning.

Indexed as

Smoking CessationAdultAgedAlcohol DrinkingAlcoholismCravingDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeSmokingTreatment OutcomeVareniclineVareniclinealcohol use disorderAUD severitymedications developmenttreatment responsevarenicline

Identifiers

PMID34486130
PMCPMC9059653
OpenAlexW3196449889

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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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.