Retrospective Hair Cortisol Concentrations from Pretreatment to Early Recovery in Alcohol Use Disorder

Altered Physiological, Affective, and Functional Connectivity Responses to Acute Stress in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

Background

There is evidence that the processing of acute stress is altered in alcohol use disorder (AUD), but little is known about how this is manifested simultaneously across different stress parameters and which neural processes are involved. The current study examined physiological and affective responses to stress and functional connectivity in AUD.

Methods

Salivary cortisol samples, pulse rate, and affect ratings were collected on 2 days from 34 individuals with moderate or severe AUD during early abstinence and 34 control participants. On one of the days, stress was induced, and on the other day, a nonstressful control task was performed. Following the intervention, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess functional connectivity, with a focus on cortical and subcortical seed regions previously reported to be involved in AUD and/or stress.

Results

For pulse rate and cortisol, stress responses were blunted in AUD, whereas the affective response was stronger. Neuroimaging analyses revealed stress-related group differences in functional connectivity, involving the connectivity of striatal seeds with the posterior default mode network, cerebellum, and midcingulate cortex and of the posterior default mode network seed with the striatum and thalamus.

Conclusions

The results suggest a dissociation between subjectively experienced distress and the physiological stress response in AUD as well as stress-related alterations in functional connectivity. These findings highlight the complex interplay between chronic alcohol use and acute stress regulation, offering valuable considerations for the development of therapeutic strategies.

Molecular Toxicology and Pathophysiology of Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury

The increasing comorbidity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious medical, economic, and social issue. However, the molecular toxicology and pathophysiological mechanisms of comorbid AUD and PTSD are not well understood and the identification of the comorbidity state markers is significantly challenging. This review summarizes the main characteristics of comorbidity between AUD and PTSD (AUD/PTSD) and highlights the significance of a comprehensive understanding of the molecular toxicology and pathophysiological mechanisms of AUD/PTSD, particularly following TBI, with a focus on the role of metabolomics, inflammation, neuroendocrine, signal transduction pathways, and genetic regulation. Instead of a separate disease state, a comprehensive examination of comorbid AUD and PTSD is emphasized by considering additive and synergistic interactions between the two diseases. Finally, we propose several hypotheses of molecular mechanisms for AUD/PTSD and discuss potential future research directions that may provide new insights and translational application opportunities.

Intake assessments of salivary cortisol, survey responses, and adverse childhood experiences are associated with recovery success in an abstinence-based treatment program for substance use disorders

BACKGROUND

Connecting patients to treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD) that satisfies their needs is often complicated by confounding factors. A reliable measurement of patients' underlying stress level may be helpful because it often reflects many of the same confounders as their SUD. Whereas cortisol levels reflect physiological responses to stress, patients' cortisol levels during recovery from an SUD may serve as biomarkers for stressors that result in poor treatment outcomes, including early discontinuation of treatment. However, further exploration of the relationship between patients' cortisol levels and their treatment outcomes is needed for this approach to be clinically useful.

METHODS

We enrolled participants from an abstinence-based, male-only, residential alcohol and drug recovery program to examine the relationship between salivary cortisol, stress exposure, ACEs, and treatment retention.

RESULTS

Participants who remained in the program <90 days had significantly higher initial cortisol levels than those who remained ≥90 days (0.62 ± 0.074 μg/dl vs. 0.36 ± 0.037 μg/dl). Kaplan-Meier curves differed significantly when we grouped participants according to whether their cortisol level was below or above the overall average of 0.49 ± 0.044 μg/dl, with the median numbers of days before discontinuing being 110 and 60, respectively. A Cox proportional hazards model indicated that elevated salivary cortisol (with increases in μg/dl), marital/relationship status, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) score correlated significantly with hazards of discontinuing the program (hazard ratios for the three factors were 3.49, 2.39, and 1.50, respectively).

DISCUSSION

Cortisol level may predict, at least partially, SUD treatment program retention regardless of individuals' numerous confounding factors or the substance used. If this approach is validated, it could enable providers to consider patients' cortisol levels at the time of admission to treatment to facilitate their retention in treatment and thereby enhance their recovery.