Principal Investigator:
Raymond Anton, M.D.
Co- Investigators:
Hugh Myrick, M.D.
Patrick Randall, Ph.D.
In this research component, Drs. Raymond Anton and Hugh Myrick will continue Dr. Anton's line of human laboratory and naltrexone research, but with a new scientific approach. Stimulated by a recent collaboration on a genetics study with the Yale and the University of Connecticut Alcohol Research Centers, and working with Dr. David Goldman's group at NIAAA Intramural on the COMBINE Study, Dr. Anton's project will use the rapidly growing field of pharmacogenetics to try to understand why some individuals realize an anti-craving effect of naltrexone and others do not.
They also will explore genetic differences in naltrexone response by utilizing state-of-the-art neuroimaging technology to directly image medication effects on cue-induced brain activation. This project embraces the advances in genetics and builds upon the group's previous experience with naltrexone's effects on cue-induced brain activity.
The human laboratory paradigm has the potential to provide a bridge between basic science research and clinical trials. The paradigm can be used to screen other medications and genetic phenotypes as they are identified. Targeted pharmacotherapy, based upon pharmacogenetics, is a novel and timely approach to relapse prevention. Since Drs. Anton and Myrick also have a track record in clinical trials, information obtained using this model can be easily translated into clinical trials and practice.