Biobehavioral effects of baclofen in anxious alcohol-dependent individuals: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, laboratory study

• Published in: Translational psychiatry 2017-04, Vol.7 (4), p.e1108-e1108
• Main Authors: Farokhnia, M, Schwandt, M L, Lee, M R, Bollinger, J W, Farinelli, L A, Amodio, J P, Sewell, L, Lionetti, T A, Spero, D E, Leggio, L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/154/436/108; 692/699/476/5; Adult; Alcohol Drinking - drug therapy; Alcoholism - diagnosis; Alcoholism - drug therapy; Anxiety - drug therapy; Baclofen - administration & dosage; Baclofen - pharmacology; Behavioral Sciences; Biobehavioral Sciences - methods; Biological Psychology; Craving - drug effects; Double-Blind Method; Female; GABA-B Receptor Agonists - pharmacology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurosciences; Original; original-article; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Pharmacotherapy; Psychiatry; Self Administration - methods; Self Administration - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 2158-3188; 2158-3188
• DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.71

Baclofen has been suggested as a potential pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder, but the clinical data are conflicting. Here we investigated the biobehavioral effects of baclofen in a sample of anxious alcohol-dependent individuals. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, human laboratory study in non-treatment seeking alcohol-dependent individuals with high trait anxiety ( N =34). Participants received baclofen (30 mg per day) or placebo for at least 8 days, then performed an experimental session consisting of alcohol cue-reactivity followed by alcohol administration procedure (alcohol priming, then alcohol self-administration). Total amount of alcohol self-administered was the primary outcome; alcohol craving, subjective/physiological responses and mood/anxiety symptoms were also evaluated. There was no significant medication effect on the total amount of alcohol consumed during the alcohol self-administration ( P =0.76). Baclofen blunted the positive association between maximum breath alcohol concentration during priming and the amount of alcohol consumption (significant interaction, P =0.03). Ratings of feeling intoxicated were significantly higher in the baclofen group after consuming the priming drink ( P =0.006). During the self-administration session, baclofen significantly increased ratings of feeling high ( P =0.01) and intoxicated ( P =0.01). A significant reduction in heart rate ( P