Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that olanzapine decreases craving after a priming dose of alcohol, that craving after a priming dose of alcohol is greater among individuals with the seven-repeat allele of the DRD4 variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism, and that the effect of olanzapine (a D2/D4 antagonist) is more pronounced among individuals with this allele. The present study tested the hypothesis that olanzapine may be differentially effective at reducing cue-elicited craving and differentially effective as a treatment for alcohol dependence over the course of a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial among individuals with and without the seven-repeat allele. Participants who met DSM IV criteria for alcohol dependence were randomly assigned to receive olanzapine (5 mg) or a placebo over the course of the trial. After 2 weeks of treatment, participants completed a cue reactivity assessment. The results suggested that participants who were homozygous or heterozygous for the seven (or longer)-repeat allele of the DRD4 VNTR responded to olanzapine with reductions in cue-elicited craving as well as reductions in alcohol consumption over the course of the 12-week trial, whereas individuals with the shorter alleles did not respond favorably to olanzapine.
Recommended Citation
Hutchinson, Kent E.; Ray, Lara; Sandman, Erica; Rutter Goodworth, Marie-Christine; Peters, Annie; Davidson, Dena; and Swift, Robert, "The Effect of Olanzapine on Craving and Alcohol Consumption" (2006). Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program. 247.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gscp_fac/247
Comments
Originally published in Neuropsychopharmacology, 31, 1310–1317.
See it here:
http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v31/n6/full/1300917a.html