The Gut-brain Axis in Food Reward and Alcohol Consumption

Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects meeting NIAAA heavy drinking criteria (for men defined as consuming 5 or more standard drinks on a drinking day and for women as consuming 4 or more standard drinks on a drinking day at least once per week for the prior 30 days, with an upper limit of 40 standard drinks per week). Half will be women. Right handed, English speaking, be a non-smoker (never smoked more than 2 cigarettes per month). Subjects will have a BMI between 18.5 and 35. Exclusion Criteria: * a) serious or unstable medical illness (e.g., cancer); b) past or current history of alcoholism or consistent drug use; c) current major psychiatric illness as defined by the DSM-IV criteria including eating disorders d) medications that affect alertness (e.g., barbiturates, benzodiazepines, chloral hydrate, haloperidol, lithium, carbamazepine, phenytoin, etc.); e) history of major head trauma with loss of consciousness; f) ongoing pregnancy; g) known taste or smell dysfunction; h) a diagnosis of diabetes; i) any known food allergy, certain food sensitivities (lactose); j) pregnant or nursing women. Daily drinkers and individuals meeting criteria for alcohol dependence will be excluded.