Publications by authors named "Amanda Higley"

Background: The interactive media-based approach to community consultation and public disclosure (CC/PD), a key step when conducting exception from informed consent (EFIC) clinical trials, is intended to be completed in 4 months. This analysis characterizes the process, from initiation of CC/PD activities to institutional review board approval, to better understand the barriers and how these can be mitigated.

Methods: This is a retrospective post hoc analysis of data collected as part of the CC/PD campaigns conducted for a large trial involving up to 90 trauma centers in the United States.

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Importance: Exception From Informed Consent (EFIC) research requires community consultation (CC) and public disclosure (PD). Traditional methods of conducting CC and PD are slow, expensive, and labor intensive.

Objective: To describe the feasibility and reach of a novel interactive, media-based approach to CC and PD and to identify the similarities and differences between trial sites in website views, survey responses, online community forum attendance, and opt-out requests.

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Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), particularly mGluR2/3, mGluR5 and mGluR7, have received much attention in medication development for the treatment of drug addiction and other neuropsychiatric diseases. However, little is known as to whether mGluR ligands also alter natural sexual behavior, a possible unwanted effect when used in humans. In the present study, we used classical copulatory behaviors to evaluate the effects of LY379268 (a selective mGluR2/3 agonist), MPEP (a selective mGluR5 antagonist) and AMN082 (a selective mGluR7 agonist), on male sexual performance in rats.

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Alcohol dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder. Despite significant strides in the development of efficacious behavioral and pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence, relapse rates remain very high. In this chapter, we review validated animal and human laboratory models for assessing risk of relapse in alcohol dependence and neurobiological treatment targets derived from such models.

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Alcohol dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by neuroadaptations that may result in the emergence of negative affective states and stress responses upon discontinuation of alcohol use. Clinical studies have demonstrated that alcohol-dependent people are more sensitive to relapse provoking cues such as alcohol, negative affect, and stress. Moreover, stress relief during protracted abstinence is thought to be a major motivation for excessive alcohol consumption.

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Rationale: Alcohol dependence is associated with high rates of recidivism. Stress has been shown to increase alcohol craving in alcohol-dependent individuals, but the association between stress-induced craving and alcoholism treatment outcome is not well understood.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between strength of stress-induced alcohol craving in the human laboratory and subsequent drinking in a cohort of treatment-seeking, alcohol-dependent adults.

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We have previously reported that selective blockade of brain dopamine D(3) receptors by SB-277011A significantly attenuates cocaine self-administration and cocaine-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. In the present study, we investigated whether SB-277011A similarly inhibits methamphetamine self-administration and methamphetamine-induced reinstatement to drug-seeking behavior. Male Long-Evans rats were allowed to intravenously self-administer methamphetamine (0.

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Our previous studies have shown that the selective dopamine D(3) receptor antagonists SB-277011A or NGB 2904 significantly attenuate cocaine self-administration under a progressive-ratio reinforcement schedule and cocaine-, methamphetamine- or nicotine-enhanced brain stimulation reward. However, the poor bioavailability of SB-277011A has limited its potential use in humans. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the novel D(3) receptor antagonist PG01037 on methamphetamine self-administration, methamphetamine-associated cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking and methamphetamine-enhanced brain stimulation reward.

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Naltrexone, a nonspecific opioid antagonist, produces significant changes in ethanol responsivity in rats by rendering the taste of ethanol aversive as well as producing a decrease in voluntary ethanol consumption. The present study investigated the effect of naltrindole, a specific antagonist of delta opioid receptors, on ethanol taste reactivity and ethanol consumption in outbred rats. In the first experiment, rats received acute treatment of naltrexone, naltrindole, or saline followed by the measurement of ethanol consumption in a short-term access period.

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