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Alcoholism
Kinds of Alcoholism Terms modified by Alcoholism Selected AbstractsRESEARCH ON ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS AND SPIRITUALITY IN ADDICTION RECOVERY. (RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ALCOHOLISM VOL 18)ADDICTION, Issue 1 2010KEITH HUMPHREYS No abstract is available for this article. [source] Risk factors for suicide attempts in patients with alcohol dependence or abuse and a history of depressive symptoms: A subgroup analysis from the WHO/ISBRA studyDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2010ÖZGÜR YALDIZLI Abstract Introduction and Aims. Alcoholism, depression and suicide attempts (SA) are strongly interrelated. The aims were to determine risk factors and develop a prognostic predictor model for SA in a subgroup of patients with a history of alcohol dependence or abuse and depressive symptoms. Design and Methods. A subgroup analysis from the data of the World Health Organisation (WHO)/the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA)-collaborative study on biological state and trait marker of alcohol use and dependence, an international multi-centre study with a cross-sectional design, based on a standardised questionnaire. We analysed from 1314 variables 43 factors,including demographic characteristics, dependence variables, comorbid disorders, personality trait markers and family history,that were supposed to be most predictive for SA according to the literature. Correlation analyses by the ,2 -test and Mann,Whitney U -test were performed to obtain statistical meaningful parameters for logistic regression analysis. Results. Of the 1863 persons included in the WHO/ISBRA study, 292 had both a history of depressive symptoms and alcohol dependence or abuse and were included in the subgroup analysis. In the logistic regression analysis, drinking status, depressive symptoms, adverse drinking experiences during alcohol consumption, bad experiences from drug abuse and antidepressant therapy were found to be independent risk factors for SA. Positive family history of alcoholism was a model-improving co-factor. This predictive model explains approximately 60% of the variance (Nagelkerkes' square). Discussion and Conclusions. This prognostic model derived from data of the WHO/ISBRA collaborative study shows important risk factors for SA in patients with history of alcohol abuse or dependence and depressive symptoms. [ Yaldizli Ö, Kuhl HC, Graf M, Wiesbeck GA, Wurst FM. Risk factors for suicide attempts in patients with alcohol dependence or abuse and a history of depressive symptoms: A subgroup analysis from the WHO/ISBRA study. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009] [source] Alcohol and injuries: a review of international emergency room studies since 1995DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2007CHERYL J. CHERPITEL Abstract This paper provides a review of emergency room (ER) studies on alcohol and injury, using representative probability samples of adult injury patients, and focuses on the scope and burden of the problem as measured by estimated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the time of the ER visit, self-report drinking prior to injury, violence-related injury and alcohol use disorders. A computerized search of the English-language literature on MEDLINE, PsychINFO and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Science Database (ETOH) was conducted for articles published between 1995 and 2005, using the following key descriptors: (1) emergency room/emergency department/accident and emergency, (2) alcohol/drinking and (3) injuries (intentional and unintentional). Findings support prior reviews, with injured patients more likely to be positive for BAC and report drinking prior to injury than non-injured, and with the magnitude of the association substantially increased for violence-related injuries compared to non-violence-related injuries. Indicators of alcohol use disorders did not show a strong association with injury. Findings were not homogeneous across studies, however, and contextual variables, including study-level detrimental drinking pattern, explained some of the variation. This review represents a broader range of ER studies than that reported previously, across both developed and developing countries, and has added to our knowledge base in relation to the influence of contextual variables on the alcohol-injury relationship. Future research on alcohol and injury should focus on obtaining representative samples of ER patients, with special attention to both acute and chronic alcohol use, and to organisational and socio-cultural variables that may influence findings across studies. In-depth patient interviews may also be useful for a better understanding of drinking in the injury event and associated circumstances. [source] Subtypes of major depression in substance dependenceADDICTION, Issue 10 2009Mark J. Niciu ABSTRACT Aims This study evaluated features that differentiate subtypes of major depressive episode (MDE) in the context of substance dependence (SD). Design Secondary data analysis using pooled data from family-based and case,control genetic studies of SD. Setting Community recruitment through academic medical centers. Participants A total of 1929 unrelated subjects with alcohol and/or drug dependence. Measurements Demographics, diagnostic criteria for psychiatric and substance use disorders and related clinical features were obtained using the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism. We compared four groups: no life-time MDE (no MDE), independent MDE only (I-MDE), substance-induced MDE only (SI-MDE) and both types of MDE. Findings Psychiatric measures were better predictors of MDE subtype than substance-related or socio-demographic ones. Subjects with both types of MDE reported more life-time depressive symptoms and comorbid anxiety disorders and were more likely to have attempted suicide than subjects with I-MDE or SI-MDE. Subjects with both types of MDE, like those with I-MDE, were also more likely than subjects with SI-MDE to be alcohol-dependent only than either drug-dependent only or both alcohol- and drug-dependent. Conclusions SD individuals with both types of MDE have greater psychiatric severity than those with I-MDE only or SI-MDE only. These and other features that distinguish among the MDE subtypes have important diagnostic and potential therapeutic implications. [source] Effects of alcoholism severity and smoking on executive neurocognitive functionADDICTION, Issue 1 2009Jennifer M. Glass ABSTRACT Aims Neurocognitive deficits in chronic alcoholic men are well documented. Impairments include memory, visual,spatial processing, problem solving and executive function. The cause of impairment could include direct effects of alcohol toxicity, pre-existing cognitive deficits that predispose towards substance abuse, comorbid psychiatric disorders and abuse of substances other than alcohol. Cigarette smoking occurs at higher rates in alcoholism and has been linked to poor cognitive performance, yet the effects of smoking on cognitive function in alcoholism are often ignored. We examined whether chronic alcoholism and chronic smoking have effects on executive function. Methods Alcoholism and smoking were examined in a community-recruited sample of alcoholic and non-alcoholic men (n = 240) using standard neuropsychological and reaction-time measures of executive function. Alcoholism was measured as the average level of alcoholism diagnoses across the study duration (12 years). Smoking was measured in pack-years. Results Both alcoholism and smoking were correlated negatively with a composite executive function score. For component measures, alcoholism was correlated negatively with a broad range of measures, whereas smoking was correlated negatively with measures that emphasize response speed. In regression analyses, both smoking and alcoholism were significant predictors of executive function composite. However, when IQ is included in the regression analyses, alcoholism severity is no longer significant. Conclusions Both smoking and alcoholism were related to executive function. However, the effect of alcoholism was not independent of IQ, suggesting a generalized effect, perhaps affecting a wide range of cognitive abilities of which executive function is a component. On the other hand, the effect of smoking on measures relying on response speed were independent of IQ, suggesting a more specific processing speed deficit associated with chronic smoking. [source] European Union scientific production on alcohol and drug misuse (1976,2000)ADDICTION, Issue 8 2005Xavier Sánchez-Carbonell ABSTRACT Background Alcohol and drug misuse is a social and health phenomenon of great relevance in the European Union (EU). One indicator of scientific production in a given area is the analysis of publications included in bibliographic databases. Scientific production on alcohol and drug misuse was analysed in EU member countries, and comparisons were made between countries. Methods Analysis of articles on alcohol and drug misuse published during the period 1976,2000 by institutions based in a country of the EU, indexed by PsycINFO. Results A total of 4825 citations was retrieved. Great Britain published 38.6%, while Sweden, Germany and Spain accounted for a further 30%. The articles dealt with drug and alcohol usage (12.8%), substance abuse (53.5%) and drug and alcohol rehabilitation (34.5%). The articles were published in 13 different languages, more than three-quarters being in English. Spanish was the second language, and was followed by French, German, Dutch and Italian. The articles were published in 521 different journals, and 62 of these published more than 10 articles. The journals publishing most were Addiction, Alcohol and Alcoholism and Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Sixty-eight per cent of the articles were signed by more than one author, and the index of collaboration, between 1996 and 2000, was 3.24. Discussion and conclusions PsycINFO is useful for making comparisons between countries, because it includes the name and country of the institution. The number of publications in the EU on alcohol and drug misuse increased over the quarter-century analysed. The most used language was English, as it also is for PsycINFO as a whole, and a tendency towards its increased use was observed. Classification of the articles by subject by the Classification Code is too general, and makes it difficult to distinguish between the areas it proposes. Production tends to be concentrated in journals dealing specifically with drug dependence and psychiatry. The index of collaboration is similar to that found in other scientific areas. [source] State-of-the-art methodologies in alcohol-related health services researchADDICTION, Issue 11s3 2000Harold I. Perl Many of the failures to replicate clinical findings of treatment efficacy in more realistic field and community settings can be attributed to inappropriate research designs and other methodological shortcomings. In order to increase research designers' awareness of existing methodologies that may be better suited to answer the critical questions inherent in health services research on alcohol-related issues, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) convened an expert conference with three specific goals: (1) to identify the critical issues involved in alcohol services research; (2) to develop a primer that explicated each key area; and (3) to compile the resulting primers into an accessible resource for researchers, policy makers and consumers. The 9 papers in this special supplement are the product of that conference and are organized broadly around three phases of the research process: study design and implementation, data collection and use, and the analysis and interpretation of data. A final summary paper discusses the issues and offers a synthesis of key themes as well as some direction for the future. [source] GENETIC STUDY: Heritability and a genome-wide linkage analysis of a Type II/B cluster construct for cannabis dependence in an American Indian communityADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Cindy L. Ehlers ABSTRACT Subtyping of substance dependence disorders holds promise for a number of important research areas including phenotyping for genetic studies, characterizing clinical course, and matching treatment and prevention strategies. This study sought to investigate whether a dichotomous construct similar to Babor's Types A/B and Cloninger's Types I/II for alcohol dependence can be identified for cannabis dependence in a Native American sample. In addition, heritability of this construct and its behavior in a genetic linkage analyses were evaluated. Information on cannabis use and dependence symptoms and other psychiatric disorders was obtained using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism from a community sample of 606 American Indians. Hierarchical average linkage and K means cluster analysis was used, and a three-cluster solution was found to generate the best separation of variables. Ninety-one per cent of cannabis-dependent participants fell into one of the two subtypes: Type A/I cluster (n = 114, 56%) and Type B/II cluster (n = 70, 35%). Heritability (estimated using Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines) was only significant for the Type B/II cluster (h2 = 0.44, SE = 0.18, P < 0.01). Evidence for linkage was found for the Type B/II cluster (versus no diagnosis) on chromosome 16 [at 139 centimorgans (cM), Log of the Odds (LOD) score = 4.4], and on chromosome 19 (at 74 cM, LOD score = 6.4). Regions of interest for this phenotype (LOD > 1.5) were also located on chromosomes 14, 21, 22. These findings suggest that a Type B/II cannabis dependence phenotype can be identified in this population and that it is in part heritable and linked to areas of the genome identified previously for drug dependence phenotypes in this population as well as in other studies. [source] CLINICAL STUDY: Abnormalities in cortical and transcallosal inhibitory mechanisms in subjects at high risk for alcohol dependence: a TMS studyADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 3-4 2008Kesavan Muralidharan ABSTRACT Central nervous system (CNS) hyperexcitability and a resulting state of behavioral undercontrol are thought to underlie the vulnerability to early-onset alcohol dependence (AD). The aim of this study was to explore the differences in the functioning of cortical inhibitory systems, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in subjects at high risk (HR) and low risk (LR) for AD and to examine the relationship between CNS inhibition and behavioral undercontrol. Right-handed HR (n = 15) and LR (n = 15) subjects, matched for age, gender, height, weight and education, were assessed for psychopathology and family history of alcoholism using the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism and the Family Interview for Genetic Studies. Following single-pulse TMS, an electromyogram recorded from the right opponens pollicis muscle was used to measure the silent periods at different stimulus intensities. HR subjects had significantly shorter contralateral and ipsilateral (iSP) silent periods and a relatively higher prevalence of ,absent' iSP. They had significantly higher mean externalizing symptoms scores (ESS) than LR subjects, and there was a significant negative correlation between iSP duration and ESS. These preliminary findings suggest that HR subjects have relative impairments in corticocortical and transcallosal inhibitory mechanisms. The consequent state of CNS hyperexcitability may be etiologically linked to the excess of externalizing behaviors observed in this population, which is thought to be a predisposition to a higher risk of developing early-onset alcoholism. [source] Amygdala protein kinase C epsilon controls alcohol consumptionGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 5 2009H. M. B. Lesscher Alcoholism is a progressive disorder that involves the amygdala. Mice lacking protein kinase C epsilon (PKC,) show reduced ethanol consumption, sensitivity and reward. We therefore investigated whether PKC, signaling in the amygdala is involved in ethanol consumption. Local knockdown of PKC, in the amygdala reduced ethanol consumption and preference in a limited-access paradigm. Further, mice that are heterozygous for the PKC, allele consume less ethanol compared with wild-type mice in this paradigm. These mice have a >50% reduction in the abundance of PKC, in the amygdala compared with wild-type mice. We conclude that amygdala PKC, is important for ethanol consumption in mice. [source] Testing association in the presence of linkage , a powerful score for binary traitsGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Gudrun Jonasdottir Abstract We present a score for testing association in the presence of linkage for binary traits. The score is robust to varying degrees of linkage, and it is valid under any ascertainment scheme based on trait values as well as under population stratification. The score test is derived from a mixed effects model where population level association is modeled using a fixed effect and where correlation among related individuals is allowed for by using log-gamma random effects. The score, as presented in this paper, does not assume full information about the inheritance pattern in families or parental genotypes. We compare the score to the semi-parametric family-based association test (FBAT), which has won ground because of its flexible and simple form. We show that a random effects formulation of co-inheritance can improve the power substantially. We apply the method to data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. We compare our findings to previously published results. Genet. Epidemiol. 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Semiparametric variance-component models for linkage and association analyses of censored trait dataGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 7 2006G. Diao Abstract Variance-component (VC) models are widely used for linkage and association mapping of quantitative trait loci in general human pedigrees. Traditional VC methods assume that the trait values within a family follow a multivariate normal distribution and are fully observed. These assumptions are violated if the trait data contain censored observations. When the trait pertains to age at onset of disease, censoring is inevitable because of loss to follow-up and limited study duration. Censoring also arises when the trait assay cannot detect values below (or above) certain thresholds. The latent trait values tend to have a complex distribution. Applying traditional VC methods to censored trait data would inflate type I error and reduce power. We present valid and powerful methods for the linkage and association analyses of censored trait data. Our methods are based on a novel class of semiparametric VC models, which allows an arbitrary distribution for the latent trait values. We construct appropriate likelihood for the observed data, which may contain left or right censored observations. The maximum likelihood estimators are approximately unbiased, normally distributed, and statistically efficient. We develop stable and efficient numerical algorithms to implement the corresponding inference procedures. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods outperform the existing ones in practical situations. We provide an application to the age at onset of alcohol dependence data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. A computer program is freely available. Genet. Epidemiol. 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Comparison of single-nucleotide polymorphisms and microsatellite markers for linkage analysis in the COGA and simulated data sets for Genetic Analysis Workshop 14: Presentation Groups 1, 2, and 3GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue S1 2005Marsha A. Wilcox Abstract The papers in presentation groups 1,3 of Genetic Analysis Workshop 14 (GAW14) compared microsatellite (MS) markers and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for a variety of factors, using multiple methods in both data sets provided to GAW participants. Group 1 focused on data provided from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). Group 2 focused on data simulated for the workshop. Group 3 contained analyses of both data sets. Issues examined included: information content, signal strength, localization of the signal, use of haplotype blocks, population structure, power, type I error, control of type I error, the effect of linkage disequilibrium, and computational challenges. There were several broad resulting observations. 1) Information content was higher for dense SNP marker panels than for MS panels, and dense SNP markers sets appeared to provide slightly higher linkage scores and slightly higher power to detect linkage than MS markers. 2) Dense SNP panels also gave higher type I errors, suggesting that increased test thresholds may be needed to maintain the correct error rate. 3) Dense SNP panels provided better trait localization, but only in the COGA data, in which the MS markers were relatively loosely spaced. 4) The strength of linkage signals did not vary with the density of SNP panels, once the marker density was ,1 SNP/cM. 5) Analyses with SNPs were computationally challenging, and identified areas where improvements in analysis tools will be necessary to make analysis practical for widespread use. Genet. Epidemiol. 29:(Suppl. 1): S7,S28, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Genotyping errors, pedigree errors, and missing dataGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue S1 2005Anthony L. Hinrichs Abstract Our group studied the effects of genotyping errors, pedigree errors, and missing data on a wide range of techniques, with a focus on the role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Half of our group used simulated data, and half of our group used data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). The simulated data had no missing genotypes and no genotyping errors, so our group, as a whole, removed data and introduced artificial errors to study the robustness of various techniques. Our teams showed that genotyping errors are less detectable and may have a greater impact on SNPs than on microsatellites, but recently developed methods that account for genotyping errors help reduce false positives, and the assumptions of these methods appear to be supported by observations from repeated genotyping. The ability to detect linkage disequilibrium (LD) was also substantially reduced by missing data; this in turn could affect tagging SNPs chosen to generate haplotypes. In the COGA sample, genotyping measurements were repeated in three ways. First, full-genome screens were performed on three sets of markers: 328 microsatellites, 11,560 SNPs from the Affymetrix GeneChip Mapping 10,K Array marker set, and 4,720 SNPs from the Illumina Linkage III panel. Second, the entire Affymetrix marker set was typed on the same 184 individuals by two different laboratories. Finally, the Affymetrix and Illumina marker panels had 94 SNPs in common. Our teams showed that both SNPs and microsatellites can be readily used to identify pedigree errors, and that SNPs have fewer genotyping errors and a low inconsistency rate. However, a fairly high rate of no-calls, especially for the Affymetrix platform, suggests that the inconsistency rate may be higher than observed. Genet. Epidemiol. 29(Suppl. 1):S120,S124, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Alcohol Drinking Patterns and Health Care Utilization in a Managed Care OrganizationHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 3 2004Gary A. Zarkin Objective. To estimate the relationship between current drinking patterns and health care utilization over the previous two years in a managed care organization (MCO) among individuals who were screened for their alcohol use. Study Design. Three primary care clinics at a large western MCO administered a short health and lifestyle questionnaire to all adult patients on their first visit to the clinic from March 1998 through December 1998. Patients who exceeded the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) guidelines for moderate drinking were given a more comprehensive alcohol screening using a modified version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Health care encounter data for two years preceding the screening visit were linked to the remaining individuals who responded to one or both instruments. Using both quantity,frequency and AUDIT-based drinking pattern variables, we estimated negative binomial models of the relationship between drinking patterns and days of health care use, controlling for demographic characteristics and other variables. Principal Findings. For both the quantity,frequency and AUDIT-based drinking pattern variables, current alcohol use is generally associated with less health care utilization relative to abstainers. This relationship holds even for heavier drinkers, although the differences are not always statistically significant. With some exceptions, the overall trend is that more extensive drinking patterns are associated with lower health care use. Conclusions. Based on our sample, we find little evidence that alcohol use is associated with increased health care utilization. On the contrary, we find that alcohol use is generally associated with decreased health care utilization regardless of drinking pattern. [source] Are there subgroups of bulimia nervosa based on comorbid psychiatric disorders?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 1 2005Alexis E. Duncan MPH Abstract Objective The current study sought to determine whether there are subtypes of bulimia nervosa (BN) differentiated by comorbid psychiatric disorders. Method Data on comorbid psychiatric diagnoses in female relatives of probands and controls in the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) who met criteria for BN (as outlined in the 3rd Rev. ed. of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) were analyzed using latent class analysis. Resulting latent classes were compared on a variety of variables related to impulsive behaviors and psychological functioning. Results The best-fitting solution, a two-class model, yielded one class (72%) characterized by substance dependence, depression, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and anxiety disorders, and another characterized by depression. The highly comorbid class had more suicidality, more daily smokers, sought help for emotional problems, and had lower Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores compared with those in the comorbid depression only class. Discussion Latent class findings suggest the existence of two classes of BN differentiated by substance dependence, impulsive behaviors, and poorer psychological functioning. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The influence of Patient Age and Alcohol-Relevant Laboratory Values on Physicians' Diagnoses of AlcoholismJOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004Allison Paganelli This study investigated factors that contribute to physicians' diagnoses and ratings of prognosis when reviewing vignettes of hypothetical cases constructed to reflect alcohol dependence. Forty-nine medical residents who read the vignettes were asked to list three probable diagnoses and a prognosis. Patient descriptions in the hypothetical vignettes were identical except for age (35 years vs. 70 years) and inclusion of alcohol-relevant lab values (present vs. absent). Results indicated that the younger patient described in the vignettes was diagnosed with alcoholism more often than was the older patient. The presence of alcohol-relevant lab values was unrelated to a diagnosis of alcoholism. Prognosis, which was on average rated as fair for most patients, was unrelated to the age of the patient. [source] Psychopathology in tuberous sclerosis: an overview and findings in a population-based sample of adults with tuberous sclerosisJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2006A. Raznahan Abstract Background Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a multi- system disorder with complex genetics. The neurodevelopmental manifestations of TS are responsible for considerable morbidity. The prevalence of epilepsy and intellectual disabilities among individuals with TS have been well described. Ours is the first study that explores the prevalence and pattern of psychopathology in a population-based sample of adults with TS. Methods Sixty subjects were identified through a capture,recapture analysis of TS. Information was gathered as to seizure history, cognitive functioning (WISC-III) and psychopathology (SADS-L, SAPPA). Lifetime psychopathology was categorized according to Research Diagnostic Criteria. The overall pattern of mental illness (MI) was examined as well as how this varied with IQ and seizure history. Results Twenty-four (40.0%) subjects had a history of MI. The most common diagnosis was that of an affective disorder [18 (30.0%)], the majority of which were major depressive episodes. Alcoholism [4 (6.7%)] and anxiety disorders [3 (5.0%)] were the next most common diagnoses. Two (3.3%) subjects had had a tic disorder. Only one individual had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. MI was found in 75.0% of those with a history of epilepsy and 37.5% of those without epilepsy. MI was significantly more prevalent in those with a full-scale IQ above 70. Conclusions A significant proportion of adult with TS experience MI. MI was significantly less prevalent in subjects with a full-scale IQ above 70. Reasons for such a finding are explored, and related methodological considerations for future research outlined. [source] Implementation of NIAAA College Drinking Task Force Recommendations: How Are Colleges Doing 6 Years Later?ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2010Toben F. Nelson Background:, In 2002, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) College Drinking Task Force issued recommendations to reduce heavy drinking by college students, but little is known about implementation of these recommendations. Current discussion about best strategies to reduce student drinking has focused more on lowering the minimum legal drinking age as advocated by a group of college and university presidents called the Amethyst Initiative than the NIAAA recommendations. Methods:, A nationally representative survey of administrators was conducted at 351 4-year colleges in the United States to ascertain familiarity with and progress toward implementation of NIAAA recommendations. Implementation was compared by enrollment size, public or private status, and whether the school president signed the Amethyst Initiative. Results:, Administrators at most colleges were familiar with NIAAA recommendations, although more than 1 in 5 (22%) were not. Nearly all colleges use educational programs to address student drinking (98%). Half the colleges (50%) offered intervention programs with documented efficacy for students at high risk for alcohol problems. Few colleges reported that empirically supported, community-based alcohol control strategies including conducting compliance checks to monitor illegal alcohol sales (33%), instituting mandatory responsible beverage service (RBS) training (15%), restricting alcohol outlet density (7%), or increasing the price of alcohol (2%) were operating in their community. Less than half the colleges with RBS training and compliance checks in their communities actively participated in these interventions. Large colleges were more likely to have RBS training and compliance checks, but no differences in implementation were found across public/private status or whether the college president signed the Amethyst Initiative. Conclusions:, Many colleges offer empirically supported programs for high-risk drinkers, but few have implemented other strategies recommended by NIAAA to address student drinking. Opportunities exist to reduce student drinking through implementation of existing, empirically based strategies. [source] Gender-Related Influences of Parental Alcoholism on the Prevalence of Psychiatric Illnesses: Analysis of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related ConditionsALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2010Peter T. Morgan Background:, Offspring of individuals with alcoholism are at increased risk for psychiatric illness, but the effects of gender on this risk are not well known. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the gender of the parent with alcoholism and the gender of offspring affect the association between parental alcoholism and offspring psychiatric illness. Method:, We analyzed the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data to examine the gender-specific prevalence of axis I and axis II disorders in 23,006 male and 17,368 female respondents with and without a history of paternal or maternal alcoholism. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated for the disorders based on gender and presence of maternal or paternal alcoholism. Results:, Maternal or paternal alcoholism was associated with a higher prevalence of every disorder examined, regardless of the gender of offspring. Gender-related differences in prevalences were present in nearly all examined disorders, and the association between parental alcoholism and offspring psychiatric disorders was significantly different in men and women. These differences included stronger associations in female offspring of men with alcoholism (alcohol abuse without dependence); in female offspring of women with alcoholism (mania, nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse, and schizoid personality disorder); in male offspring of men with alcoholism (mania); and in male offspring of women with alcoholism (panic disorder). Conclusions:, Interactions between gender and parental alcoholism were specific to certain disorders but varied in their effects, and in general female children of women with alcoholism appear at greatest risk for adult psychopathology. [source] Laboratory Models Available to Study Alcohol-Induced Organ Damage and Immune Variations: Choosing the Appropriate ModelALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2010Nympha B. D'Souza El-Guindy The morbidity and mortality resulting from alcohol-related diseases globally impose a substantive cost to society. To minimize the financial burden on society and improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from the ill effects of alcohol abuse, substantial research in the alcohol field is focused on understanding the mechanisms by which alcohol-related diseases develop and progress. Since ethical concerns and inherent difficulties limit the amount of alcohol abuse research that can be performed in humans, most studies are performed in laboratory animals. This article summarizes the various laboratory models of alcohol abuse that are currently available and are used to study the mechanisms by which alcohol abuse induces organ damage and immune defects. The strengths and weaknesses of each of the models are discussed. Integrated into the review are the presentations that were made in the symposium "Methods of Ethanol Application in Alcohol Model,How Long is Long Enough" at the joint 2008 Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) and International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA) meeting, Washington, DC, emphasizing the importance not only of selecting the most appropriate laboratory alcohol model to address the specific goals of a project but also of ensuring that the findings can be extrapolated to alcohol-induced diseases in humans. [source] Delay Discounting Behavior and White Matter Microstructure Abnormalities in Youth With a Family History of AlcoholismALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2010Megan M. Herting Background:, Youth with family history of alcohol abuse have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Brain and behavior differences may underlie this increased vulnerability. The current study examined delay discounting behavior and white matter microstructure in youth at high risk for alcohol abuse, as determined by a family history of alcoholism (FH+), and youth without such family history (FH,). Methods:, Thirty-three healthy youth (FH+ = 15, FH, = 18), ages 11 to 15 years, completed a delay discounting task and underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics (Smith et al., 2006), as well as follow-up region-of-interest analyses, were performed to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) between FH+ and FH, youth. Results:, FH+ youth showed a trend toward increased discounting behavior and had significantly slower reaction times (RTs) on the delay discounting paradigm compared to FH, youth. Group differences in FA were seen in several white matter tracts. Furthermore, lower FA in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the right optic radiation statistically mediated the relationship between FH status and slower RTs on the delay discounting task. Conclusions:, Youth with a family history of substance abuse have disrupted white matter microstructure, which likely contributes to less efficient cortical processing and may act as an intrinsic risk factor contributing to an increased susceptibility of developing AUD. In addition, FHP youth showed a trend toward greater impulsive decision making, possibly representing an inherent personal characteristic that may facilitate substance use onset and abuse in high-risk youth. [source] Control Yourself: Alcohol and ImpulsivityALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010Marc N. Potenza Impulsivity represents a complex, multifaceted construct with relevance to alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. Researchers are refining the definitions and assessment of different subtypes of impulsive behavior and relating these to the causes and consequences of alcohol-related behaviors and disorders. A satellite symposium on alcohol and impulsivity was held at the 2009 convention of the Research Society on Alcoholism. This article provides an overview of the rationale for the symposium, a synopsis of review and original research articles emanating from the symposium, and a description of the implications of the work and possible future research directions. [source] Recent Research on Impulsivity in Individuals With Drug Use and Mental Health Disorders: Implications for AlcoholismALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010Robert D. Rogers Alcohol misuse and dependence, and many of its accompanying psychological problems, are associated with heightened levels of impulsivity that both accelerate the development of clinically significant illness and complicate clinical outcome. This article reviews recent developments in our understanding of impulsivity as they relate to brain circuitry that might underlie these comorbid factors, focusing upon the clinical features of substance use (and dependence), bipolar disorder, and pathological gambling. Individuals who are affected by these disorders exhibit problems in several domains of impulsive behavior including deficient response or "motor" control, and the tolerance of prolonged delays prior to larger rewards at the expense of smaller rewards ("delay-discounting"). These populations, like alcoholic dependents, also exhibit impairments in risky decision-making that may reflect dysfunction of monoamine and catecholamine pathways. However, several areas of uncertainty exist including the specificity of impairments across disorders and the relationship between impulse control problems and altered evaluation of reward outcomes underlying observed impairments in action selection. [source] Analgesic Effects of Ethanol Are Influenced by Family History of Alcoholism and NeuroticismALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010Elizabeth Ralevski Background:, Although personality factors and family history of substance abuse influence how individuals experience pain and respond to analgesics, the combined effects of those factors have not been extensively studied. The objective of this study was to consider the possible role of personality trait of neuroticism and family history of alcoholism on the experience of pain and their role in the analgesic response to an ethanol challenge. Methods:, Forty-eight healthy subjects participated in this study; thirty-one had a positive family history of alcoholism (FHP), seventeen had a negative family history of alcoholism (FHN). They were also categorized based on their neuroticism (N) scores (low N = 28, and high N = 20). This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, within-subject design study of intravenous administration of three doses of ethanol. The testing consisted of 3 separate test days scheduled at least 3 days apart. Test days included a placebo day (saline solution), low-exposure ethanol day (targeted breathalyzer = 0.040 g/dl), and high-exposure ethanol day (targeted breathalyzer = 0.100 g/dl). Noxious electrical stimulation and pain assessments were performed prior to start of infusion and at the 60-minute infusion mark. Results:, The analgesic effect of ethanol was mediated by an interaction between the personality trait of neuroticism and family history. Individuals with family history of alcoholism and high N scores reported significantly more analgesia on low dose of ethanol than those with low N scores. There was no difference in the analgesic response to ethanol among FHNs with low and high N scores. Conclusion:, These findings support the conclusion that neuroticism and family history of alcoholism both influence the analgesic response of alcohol. Individuals with high N scores and FHP have the strongest response to ethanol analgesia particularly on the low exposure to alcohol. [source] Transcallosal White Matter Degradation Detected With Quantitative Fiber Tracking in Alcoholic Men and Women: Selective Relations to Dissociable FunctionsALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2010Adolf Pfefferbaum Introduction:, Excessive alcohol consumption can adversely affect white matter fibers and disrupt transmission of neuronal signals. Here, we examined six anatomically defined transcallosal white matter fiber bundles and asked whether any bundle was specifically vulnerable to alcohol, what aspect of white matter integrity was most affected, whether women were more vulnerable than men, and whether evidence of compromise in specific bundles was associated with deficits in balance, sustained attention, associative learning, and psychomotor function, commonly affected in alcoholics. Methods:, Diffusion tensor imaging quantitative fiber tracking assessed integrity of six transcallosal white matter bundles in 87 alcoholics (59 men, 28 women) and 88 healthy controls (42 men, 46 women). Measures included orientational diffusion coherence (fractional anisotropy, FA) and magnitude of diffusion, quantified separately for axial (longitudinal; ,L) and radial (transverse; ,T) diffusivity. The Digit Symbol Test and a test of ataxia were also administered. Results:, Alcoholism negatively affected callosal FA and ,T of all but the sensory-motor bundle. Women showed no evidence for greater vulnerability to alcohol than men. Multiple regression analyses confirmed a double dissociation: higher diffusivity in sensory-motor and parietal bundles was associated with poorer balance but not psychomotor speed, whereas higher diffusivity in prefrontal and temporal bundles was associated with slower psychomotor speed but not balance. Conclusions:, This study revealed stronger alcohol effects for FA and radial diffusivity than axial diffusivity, suggesting myelin degradation, but no evidence for greater vulnerability to alcohol in women than men. The presence of brain-behavior relationships provides support for the role of alcoholism-related commissural white matter degradation as a substrate of cognitive and motor impairment. Identification of a double dissociation provides further support for the role of selective white matter integrity in specific domains of performance. [source] Inflexible and Indifferent Alcohol Drinking in Male MiceALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2010Heidi M. B. Lesscher Background:, Alcoholism is characterized by compulsive alcohol intake, but this critical feature of alcoholism is seldom captured in preclinical studies. Here, we evaluated whether alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J mice develop compulsive alcohol drinking patterns, using adulteration of the alcohol solution with quinine, in a limited access choice paradigm. We assessed 2 independent aspects of compulsive drinking: (i) inflexible alcohol intake by testing whether mice would drink bitter alcohol solutions if this was their only source of alcohol and (ii) indifferent drinking by comparing intake of aversive and nonaversive alcohol solutions. Methods:, Male C57BL/6J mice consumed alcohol for 2 or 8 consecutive weeks. The alcohol solution was then adulterated with graded quinine concentrations, and the effect on alcohol intake was determined. Results:, C57BL/6J mice rapidly developed compulsive alcohol drinking patterns. Adulteration of the alcohol solution with an aversive quinine concentration failed to reduce intake, indicative of inflexible drinking behavior, after only 2 weeks of alcohol experience, although quinine adulteration did suppress the acquisition of alcohol drinking in naïve mice. After 8 weeks of alcohol consumption, the mice also became indifferent to quinine. They consumed an aversive, quinine-containing alcohol solution, despite the simultaneous availability of an unadulterated alcohol solution. Prolonged alcohol ingestion did not alter the sensitivity to the bitter taste of quinine itself. Conclusion:, These findings demonstrate the staged occurrence in mice of 2 distinct behavioral characteristics of alcoholism, i.e., inflexible and indifferent alcohol drinking. [source] Advancing Alcohol Biomarkers ResearchALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2010Cynthia F. Bearer Biomarkers to detect past alcohol use and identify alcohol-related diseases have long been pursued as important tools for research into alcohol use disorders as well as for clinical and treatment applications and other settings. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) sponsored a workshop titled "Workshop on Biomarkers for Alcohol-Induced Disorders" in June 2008. The intent of this workshop was to review and discuss recent progress in the development and implementation of biomarkers for alcohol use and alcohol-related disorders with a goal to formulate a set of recommendations to use to stimulate and advance research progress in this critical area of alcoholism research. Presentations at this workshop reviewed the current status of alcohol biomarkers, providing a summary of the history of biomarkers and the major goals of alcohol biomarker research. Moreover, presentations provided a comprehensive overview of the current status of several well-recognized biomarkers of alcohol use, a summary of recent studies to characterize novel biomarkers and their validation, along with perspectives and experiences from other NIH institutes and from other federal agencies and industry, related to regulatory issues. Following these presentations, a panel discussion focused on a set of issues presented by the organizers of this workshop. These discussion points addressed: (i) issues related to strategies to be adopted to stimulate biomarker discovery and application, (ii) the relevance of animal studies in biomarker development and the status of biomarkers in basic science studies, and (iii) issues related to the opportunities for clinical and commercial applications. This article summarizes these perspectives and highlights topics that constituted the basis for recommendations to enhance alcohol biomarker research. [source] Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Receptor 1 Gene (CRHR1) Are Associated With Quantitative Trait of Event-Related Potential and Alcohol DependenceALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2010Andrew C. H. Chen Background:, Endophenotypes reflect more proximal effects of genes than diagnostic categories, hence providing a more powerful strategy in searching for genes involved in complex psychiatric disorders. There is strong evidence suggesting the P3 amplitude of the event-related potential (ERP) as an endophenotype for the risk of alcoholism and other disinhibitory disorders. Recent studies demonstrated a crucial role of corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) in the environmental stress response and ethanol self-administration in animal models. The aim of the present study was to test the potential associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRHR1 gene and the quantitative trait, P3 amplitude during the processing of visual target signals in an oddball paradigm, as well as alcohol dependence diagnosis. Methods:, We analyzed a sample from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) comprising 1049 Caucasian subjects from 209 families (including 472 alcohol-dependent individuals). Quantitative transmission disequilibrium test (QTDT) and family-based association test (FBAT) were used to test the association, and false discovery rate (FDR) was applied to correct for multiple comparisons. Results:, Significant associations (p < 0.05) were found between the P3 amplitude and alcohol dependence with multiple SNPs in the CRHR1 gene. Conclusions:, Our results suggest that CRHR1 may be involved in modulating the P3 component of the ERP during information processing and in vulnerability to alcoholism. These findings underscore the utility of electrophysiology and the endophenotype approach in the genetic study of psychiatric disorders. [source] Genome-Wide Association Study of Alcohol Dependence Implicates a Region on Chromosome 11ALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2010Howard J. Edenberg Background:, Alcohol dependence is a complex disease, and although linkage and candidate gene studies have identified several genes associated with the risk for alcoholism, these explain only a portion of the risk. Methods:, We carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on a case,control sample drawn from the families in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. The cases all met diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition; controls all consumed alcohol but were not dependent on alcohol or illicit drugs. To prioritize among the strongest candidates, we genotyped most of the top 199 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (p , 2.1 × 10,4) in a sample of alcohol-dependent families and performed pedigree-based association analysis. We also examined whether the genes harboring the top SNPs were expressed in human brain or were differentially expressed in the presence of ethanol in lymphoblastoid cells. Results:, Although no single SNP met genome-wide criteria for significance, there were several clusters of SNPs that provided mutual support. Combining evidence from the case,control study, the follow-up in families, and gene expression provided strongest support for the association of a cluster of genes on chromosome 11 (SLC22A18, PHLDA2, NAP1L4, SNORA54, CARS, and OSBPL5) with alcohol dependence. Several SNPs nominated as candidates in earlier GWAS studies replicated in ours, including CPE, DNASE2B, SLC10A2, ARL6IP5, ID4, GATA4, SYNE1, and ADCY3. Conclusions:, We have identified several promising associations that warrant further examination in independent samples. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||