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Sensory and Physical Reactions to Beverage Cues

Sensory and Physiological Responses to Beverage Stimuli: A Randomized Crossover Study

Who can join

Ages 21 to 70 · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 21-70 years.
* Current AUD (mild or greater severity on the SCID-5).
* Regular drinkers (at least one drink in past week as identified in TLFB) able to identify a preferred alcoholic beverage (e.g., beer, wine, spirits, or mixed) for which a visually matched non-alcoholic alternative exists and can be sourced .
* Willing to abstain from alcohol for ≥12 hours prior to each session and arrive with BrAC = 0.000% at visit 1 and ≤ 0.020% at visit 2. BrAC will be collected immediately after the participant signs the consent form at visit 1.

Exclusion Criteria:

* CIWA-Ar ≥10 which suggests clinically meaningful withdrawal.
* Pregnancy, nursing, or planning pregnancy.
* Medical contraindications to any alcohol exposure (e.g., liver disease, unstable cardiovascular condition).
* Current use of medications that strongly affect craving or alcohol consumption (e.g., naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram).
* Severe psychiatric illness or symptoms (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, active suicidal ideation) that would interfere with procedures.

About the study

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate changes in craving and sensory responses to different beverage cues in adults (aged 21-70) with current mild or greater alcohol use disorder (AUD). The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does exposure to different beverage cues elicit distinct changes in subjective craving? * How do beverage liking, peak craving, and the return of craving to baseline compare across different test-beverage conditions?

Researchers will compare Session A (Test Beverage Condition A) to Session B (Test Beverage Condition B) in a randomized crossover design to see if sensory and expectancy effects influence craving responses without consumption.

Participants will:

* Complete two separate 3-minute cue reactivity trials per session (a baseline water cue, followed by a test-beverage cue) while listening to guided audio instructions and holding/smelling the beverage without drinking it. * Rate their craving and beverage liking using visual analog scales (VAS) immediately after each trial. * Provide breathalyzer readings (BrAC), vital signs, and safety/medication checks at both study visits. * Complete diagnostic and drinking history assessments (such as the SCID-5, TLFB, and ACQ-SF-R).

What is being tested

• Alcohol Cue Reactivity Paradigm (behavioral)

Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center · Participants: 20 · Started: 2026-10

Contact the study team

• Paola R Sparagana, BS · Phone: 214-645-6950

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07788716

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.