Relationship Between Brain and Heart Glucose Metabolism in Alcohol Use Disorder

• Age 21 years to 65 years old.

• Willingness to provide signed, informed consent and commit to completing the procedures in the study

• Participants must be informed of the investigational nature of this study and provide written informed consent in accordance with institutional and federal guidelines prior to study-specific procedures.

• Participants must agree to not consume alcohol beverages for 24 hours prior to each laboratory session.

• Meets DSM-5 criteria for current AUD

• Participants report average weekly ethanol consumption of at least 15 standard drinks weekly over the past month prior to consent (self-report)

• Minimum 1 year history of heavy drinking (self-report).

• Must have had last drink within 1 week of PET visits.

• Alcohol specified as the preferred drug (self-report).

• AUDIT score < 6

• Drinks alcohol 15 standard drinks or less per month and 3 or less standard drinks per occasion.

• Exclusion both groups:

• Females who are pregnant or breast-feeding will not be eligible for this study. Female participants of child-bearing potential will have a urine pregnancy test prior to FDG injection.

• Unwilling or unable to refrain from use, within 24 hours of FDG PET/CT scan procedures, psychoactive medications or medication that may affect study results (e.g., analgesics containing narcotics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs).

• Current DSM-5 diagnosis of a major psychiatric disorder (other than nicotine use disorders, or marijuana use disorders that are mild/moderate in both groups; and alcohol in the AUD group) that required hospitalization, or that required daily medications for over 4 weeks in the past year (i.e., antidepressants; anticholinergics; antipsychotics; anxiolytics; lithium; psychotropic drugs not otherwise specified (nos) including herbal products (no drugs with psychomotor effects or with anxiolytics, stimulant, antipsychotic, or sedative properties); sedatives/hypnotics).

• Positive urine drug screen positive for any substances, other than marijuana, on study visits (may be repeated once and if the result is negative on repeat it is not exclusionary).

• Serious or unstable medical or psychological conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the subject's safety or successful participation in the study.

• Currently suffering from or with a history of stroke and/or stroke related spasticity per medical record review or self report.

• History of seizures per medical record review or self report.

• HIV positive, as the human immunodeficiency virus may affect the brain, per medical record review or self report or by testing at screening.

• Head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes or associated with skull fracture or inter-cranial bleeding or abnormal MRI. (self-report, medical record review).

• Presence of ferromagnetic objects in the body that are contraindicated for MRI of the head, fear of enclosed spaces, or other standard contraindication to MRI (self-report checklist) or PET scanner.

• Significant claustrophobia or other medical condition preventing subject from lying comfortably flat on his/her back for up to 2 hours in the MRI or PET scanner (self-report).

• BMI > 35, imaging data acquisition is impaired with high-weight individuals).

• Vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses.

• Judged by the principal investigator or his designee to be an unsuitable candidate for study participation.