A Preliminary, Open-Label Study of Naltrexone and Bupropion Combination Therapy for Treating Binge Drinking in Human Subjects.

Aims: The combination of bupropion and naltrexone has shown efficacy in reducing binge drinking in animal models. This study assessed the tolerability and potential utility of combined naltrexone and bupropion in reducing binge drinking in human subjects.

Methods: This preliminary study employed an open-label, single-arm, 12-week, prospective design.

Bupropion, Alone and in Combination with Naltrexone, Blunts Binge-Like Ethanol Drinking and Intake Following Chronic Intermittent Access to Ethanol in Male C57BL/6J Mice.

Background: Regular binge drinking is associated with numerous adverse consequences, yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only 4 medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorders, and none have been specifically targeted for treating binge drinking.

Association of the Sweet-Liking Phenotype and Craving for Alcohol With the Response to Naltrexone Treatment in Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Identification of moderators of the response to naltrexone hydrochloride treatment for alcohol dependence could improve clinical care for patients with alcohol use disorders.

Objective: To investigate the preliminary finding that the sweet-liking (SL) phenotype interacts with a high level of craving for alcohol and is associated with an improved response to naltrexone in alcohol dependence.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This 12-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted from February 1, 2010, to April 30, 2012, in an academic outpatient medical center.

Sweet-liking is associated with transformation of heavy drinking into alcohol-related problems in young adults with high novelty seeking.

Background: We tested the hypothesis that high novelty seeking (NS) (a trait that promotes experimentation) and sweet-liking (SL) (a phenotype that may reflect processing of hedonic stimuli) act independently and synergistically to increase the risk of having alcohol-related problems in young adults.

Methods: A sample of 163 young adults, ages 18 to 26, was recruited and balanced for gender and evidence for presence of alcohol problems to yield 150 evaluable participants. NS was evaluated using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Sweet liking and high novelty seeking: independent phenotypes associated with alcohol-related problems.

Aim: We tested the hypothesis that high novelty seeking (NS; a trait that promotes experimentation) and hedonic response to sweet taste (a trait that may reflect processing of hedonic stimuli) act independently to increase the risk for having alcohol-related problems in young adults.

Methods: The study was conducted in 158 healthy subjects (age 20-25 years) with no lifetime history of alcohol and/or drug abuse/dependence. NS was evaluated using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.

Unipolar depression does not moderate responses to the Sweet Taste Test.

Background: The Sweet Taste Test (STT) measures hedonic responses to sweet tastes and has been linked to both alcoholism and to a family history of alcoholism. However, STT response profiles in unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD), a disorder characterized by anhedonia, have been minimally investigated.

Methods: Twelve adults with and 15 adults without MDD participated in two identical STT assessments separated by approximately 12 weeks.

Sweet liking phenotype, alcohol craving and response to naltrexone treatment in alcohol dependence.

Aims: To investigate the relationship between the sweet liking/sweet disliking phenotype (a putative probe of brain opioid function), craving for alcohol and response to treatment with naltrexone in individuals with alcohol dependence.

Methods: Forty individuals with alcohol dependence were enrolled in a 12-week open-label study of 50 mg of naltrexone with four sessions of motivational enhancement therapy. Prior to treatment, individuals completed a sweet preference test and the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale.

Sweet preference predicts mood altering effect of and impaired control over eating sweet foods.

The purpose of the present study was to examine association between hedonic response to sweet taste and a mood altering effect associated with eating sweet foods and impaired control over eating sweets. Participants (n=163, 39% males) rated a series of sucrose solutions for intensity of sweetness and palatability and completed a newly developed 12-item Sweet Taste Questionnaire (STQ). It was shown that STQ identifies two factors in the individual's attitude towards sweet foods: sensitivity to the mood altering effect of sweets and impaired control over eating sweet foods.

Sweet liking, novelty seeking, and gender predict alcoholic status.

Background: The relationship between a hedonic response to sweet taste and a propensity to excessive alcohol drinking is supported by both animal and human studies. There is evidence indicating that the tendency to rate more concentrated sweet solutions as the most pleasurable (i.e.

Family history of alcoholism and response to sweets.

Background: The relationship between a hedonic response to sweet tastes and a propensity to excessive alcohol drinking is supported by both animal and human studies. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the genetic risk for alcoholism as measured by a paternal history of alcoholism in young social drinkers is associated with sweet-liking, defined as rating the strongest offered sucrose solution (i.e.