Alcohol and Cigarette Craving During Oxytocin Treatment

Inclusion criteria

• male or female
• 18 to 55 years of age
• meet criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder DSM-5 diagnosis
• meet the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria for heavy-drinking
• smoke at least ≥5 cigarettes/day for at least a year, verified with breath carbon monoxide level > 5 ppm
• in good health as confirmed by medical history, physical examination and lab tests
• willing to take the medication and adhere to the study procedures
• breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) = 0.00 at each visit
• understand informed consent and questionnaires written in English at an 8th grade level
• right-handedness
• normal to normal-corrected vision

Exclusion criteria

• positive urine test for pregnancy
• women who are breast-feeding
• body mass index > 40
• current or prior history of any clinically significant disease, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, endocrine, or reproductive disorders, positive hepatitis or HIV test that could affect study participation, as determined by the study physician
• history of suicide attempts
• current diagnosis of substance dependence other than alcohol, nicotine or cannabis as assessed by self-report and urine toxicology screen at baseline
• current use of psychoactive medications or any medication that may interact with oxytocin
• history of hypersensitivity to oxytocin
• chronic rhinitis or sinusitis
• clinically significant electrolyte abnormalities
• vasoconstricting medications or prostaglandins
• clinically significant medical abnormalities: unstable hypertension, bilirubin >150% of the upper normal limit (UNL), ALT/AST >500% the UNL, creatinine clearance ≤60 dl/min)
• significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms, defined as a CIWA-Ar > 8
• positive urine drug screen at baseline for any excluded substances
• individuals seeking treatment
• meets DSM-5 criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other psychoses
• claustrophobia
• any contraindications with the MRI machine