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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05369169

Afferent Neurocardiac Signals, Cue Reactivity, and Cognitive Control

Conscious attempts to regulate alcohol use are often undermined by automatic attention and arousal processes activated by alcohol cues, as well as by diminished ability to inhibit in-the-moment behaviors. The current study will examine whether a brief behavioral intervention of slow breathing paced at a resonance frequency of the cardiovascular system can interrupt automatic alcohol cue reactivity and enhance cognitive control in binge drinkers. Results from the proposed study may provide new prevention and intervention targets to interrupt unhealthy drinking behaviors.

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Key information

Conditions

Binge Drinking Alcohol Drinking Alcohol-Related Disorders Behavior Chemically-Induced Disorders Drinking Behavior Mental Disorders Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Respiration Disorders Respiratory Aspiration Respiratory Tract Diseases Substance-Related Disorders

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Must report at least 2 binge drinking episodes in the past month
  • Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion criteria

  • History or presence of serious psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders, or head injury resulting in a loss of consciousness
  • Presence of any serious medical condition
  • Report of more than a few occasions (3-4) of illicit drug use, except for cannabis, in the preceding year

Treatment and study plan

Resonance Breathing

Behavioral

Participants will synchronize their breathing with a visual pacer (E-Z Air, Thought Technology, Ltd., Plattsburgh, NY) that moves up (inhale) and down (exhale) at the rate of 0.1 Hz (6 breaths per min)

Low demand cognitive task

Behavioral

Different colored rectangles are presented for 10 sec each, and participants are instructed to silently count the number of blue rectangles

Primary outcomes

  1. N2 ERP amplitude (in microvolts) elicited from an Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The N2 component (in microvolts) of the event-related potential occurring 250-350 ms after stimulus presentation at frontal and central electrode sites during an Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  2. N2pc ERP amplitude (in microvolts) elicited from a visual dot probe detection task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The N2pc component of the event-related potential occurring 200-275 ms after stimulus presentation at parietal and occipital electrode sites (ipsilateral minus contralateral hemisphere activity) during a modified visual dot probe detection task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  3. P3b ERP amplitude (in microvolts) elicited from a picture-viewing task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The P3b component of the event-related potential occurring 300-600 ms after stimulus presentation at central and parietal electrode sites during a picture viewing task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  4. N2 ERP latency (in milliseconds) elicited from an Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The latency of the N2 component of the event-related potential from frontal and central electrode sites during a picture viewing task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task. Latency will be determined using 50% area latency from a difference wave between task conditions

  5. N2pc ERP latency (in milliseconds) elicited from a visual dot probe detection task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The latency of the N2pc component of the event-related potential from parietal and occipital electrode sites during a visual dot probe detection task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task. Latency will be determined using 50% area latency from a difference wave between task conditions

  6. P3b ERP latency (in milliseconds) elicited from a picture-viewing task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    The latency of the P3b component of the event-related potential from central and parietal electrode sites during a picture viewing task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task. Latency will be determined using 50% area latency from a difference wave between task conditions

  7. Task accuracy from the behavioral response during the Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    Task accuracy as a percentage of correct behavioral responses to the task during the Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go ERP task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  8. Reaction time from the behavioral response during the Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    Reaction time for the correct behavioral responses to the task measured in milliseconds during the Alcohol Cued Go/No-Go ERP task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  9. Task accuracy from the behavioral response during the visual dot probe detection task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    Task accuracy as a percentage of correct behavioral responses to the task during the visual dot probe detection task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

  10. Reaction time from the behavioral response during the visual dot probe detection task

    Time frame: Immediate; Difference between the active resonance breathing compared to the low demand cognitive task occurring one week apart

    Reaction time for the correct behavioral responses to the task measured in milliseconds during the visual dot probe ERP task following a 5-minute course of resonance breathing compared to a low-demand control task

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
May 11, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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