# Cardiovascular, Immune and Psychosocial Benefits of Reduced Cocaine Use

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2020 · $574,367

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Promoting reductions in problem behaviors is common in medical practice wherein at-risk individuals are
counseled to make moderate, sustainable changes in lifestyle. Reducing the percentage of heavy drinking
days in individuals with alcohol use disorder is an accepted intervention target in alcohol addiction treatment,
yet for other drug use disorders, complete abstinence remains the standard for demonstrating treatment
efficacy. Interventions that promote reductions in drug use should improve biopsychosocial outcomes. Little
research has been conducted to demonstrate benefits of reduced drug use, however. Demonstrating the
benefits of reduced cocaine (COC) use would significantly advance treatment development by challenging
expectations for outcomes from possible interventions. COC use produces a number of biopsychosocial
detriments (e.g., cardiovascular toxicity, disrupted immune function, increased psychiatric comorbidities) that
could be ameliorated by COC use reduction. No studies have prospectively or comprehensively evaluated this
possibility to date, although preliminary data support this hypothesis. To fill this critical knowledge gap, we
propose a randomized, controlled 12-week trial in which financial incentives will be used to reduce COC use.
Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (n=66 completers/ group): 1) high value financial
incentives for COC abstinence in which frequency of COC use is expected to be substantially reduced or
completely eliminated, 2) low value financial incentives for COC abstinence in which frequency of COC use is
expected to be reduced or 3) a non-contingent control group, in which frequency of COC use is expected to
remain stable. This study aims to demonstrate that reduced COC use improves physiological and biochemical
indicators of cardiovascular and immune fitness, as well as psychosocial function. The overarching hypothesis
is that individuals assigned to the active treatment conditions will display improvements in biopsychosocial
domains compared to individuals assigned to the non-contingent control group. A “dose-response” is also
expected whereby individuals assigned to the high value condition will display greater reductions in COC use,
and consequently greater improvements, relative to the low value condition. This research will advance the
field by: 1) using multifaceted health outcomes to provide prospective evidence supporting reduced drug use
as a viable endpoint for COC treatment development, 2) identifying biochemical indicators of health
improvements associated with reduced COC use and 3) laying the foundation for a paradigm-shifting definition
of COC treatment success, thereby challenging expectations for outcomes in behavioral and pharmacological
intervention development. These innovations will accelerate identification of promising treatments for cocaine
use disorder, resulting in a sustained and powerful impact on scientific and clinical practice.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9936388
- **Project number:** 5R01DA043938-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** William Walton Stoops
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $574,367
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9936388

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9936388, Cardiovascular, Immune and Psychosocial Benefits of Reduced Cocaine Use (5R01DA043938-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9936388. Licensed CC0.

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