Binge drinking and cognitive impairment in young people

Brief intervention protocol by telephone delivered by nurses to patients with harmful alcohol use in primary health care: A feasibility trial

AIM

The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of a brief intervention protocol by telephone performed by nurses in primary health care facilities.

METHODS

A nonrandomized single-arm feasibility study was performed. The proposed intervention of this study is the Brief Intervention carried out by the nurse delivered by telephone, synchronously with alcohol users. The brief intervention is a motivational approach based on the FRAMES model, with its components being: Feedback, Responsibility, Advice, Menu of options, Empathy and Self-efficacy. To assess the feasibility of the protocol, we evaluated the procedure for enrolling participants, the acceptability of the protocol to participants, the satisfaction of the participants, convenience and treatment continuity. The quantitative data analysis was carried out in the R software, using descriptive statistics, categorical variables were reported by frequencies and percentages. For continuous variables, medians, means, standard deviations and range values were computed.

RESULTS

We followed the participants (n = 165) from baseline (T0) until 3 months (T1) and 6 months (T2) after the brief intervention. The partial effect suggests a reduction in alcohol consumption, and statistically significant differences were observed from baseline before the BI, with a decrease of 0.66 points in AUDIT scores at T1. Among the patients who completed the 3-month follow-up, 48 % reported a positive experience of receiving the brief intervention by the nurses, and 44 % reported a decrease in alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Brief intervention delivered by telephone was considered feasible and acceptable by primary health care patients, and they perceived improvement in their alcohol consumption after receiving the BI performed by nurses.

An Event-related Potential Study of Error-monitoring Deficits in Female College Students Who Participate in Binge Drinking

Objective

This study investigated error-monitoring deficits in female college students with binge drinking (BD) using event-related potentials (ERPs) and the modified Flanker task.

Methods

Participants were categorized into BD (n=25) and non-BD (n=25) groups based on the scores of the Korean-version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-K) and the Alcohol Use Questionnaire (AUQ). The modified Flanker task, consisting of congruent (target and flanker stimuli are the same) and incongruent (target and flanker stimuli are different) conditions, was used to evaluate error-monitoring abilities.

Results

The BD group exhibited significantly shorter response times and more error rates on the Flanker task, as well as reduced error-related negativity (ERN) amplitudes compared with the non-BD group. Additionally, ERN amplitudes measured at FCz and Cz were significantly correlated with scores on the AUDIT-K and AUQ in the whole participants. The BD and non-BD groups did not show any significant differences in error positivity amplitudes.

Conclusion

The present results indicate that college students with BD have deficits in error-monitoring, and that reduced ERN amplitudes may serve as a biological marker or risk factor of alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol use and dementia: a systematic scoping review

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use has been identified as a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline. However, some patterns of drinking have been associated with beneficial effects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To clarify the relationship between alcohol use and dementia, we conducted a scoping review based on a systematic search of systematic reviews published from January 2000 to October 2017 by using Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO. Overall, 28 systematic reviews were identified: 20 on the associations between the level of alcohol use and the incidence of cognitive impairment/dementia, six on the associations between dimensions of alcohol use and specific brain functions, and two on induced dementias. Although causality could not be established, light to moderate alcohol use in middle to late adulthood was associated with a decreased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Heavy alcohol use was associated with changes in brain structures, cognitive impairments, and an increased risk of all types of dementia.

CONCLUSION

Reducing heavy alcohol use may be an effective dementia prevention strategy.

Acute impact of caffeinated alcoholic beverages on cognition: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Energy drinks are popular beverages that are supposed to counteract sleepiness, increase energy, maintain alertness and reduce symptoms of hangover. Cognitive enhancing seems to be related to many compounds such as caffeine, taurine and vitamins. Currently, users mostly combine psychostimulant effects of energy drinks to counteract sedative effects of alcohol. However, recent literature suggests that this combination conducts to feel less intoxicated but still impaired. The goal of the present article is to review cognitive impact and subjective awareness in case of caffeinated alcoholic beverage (CAB) intoxication.

METHOD

PubMed (January 1960 to March 2016) database was searched using the following terms: cognitive impairments, alcohol, energy drinks; cognition, alcohol, caffeine.

RESULTS

99 papers were found but only 12 randomized controlled studies which explored cognitive disorders and subjective awareness associated with acute CAB or AED (alcohol associated with energy drinks) intoxication were included.

DISCUSSION

The present literature review confirmed that energy drinks might counteract some cognitive deficits and adverse effects of alcohol i.e. dry mouth, fatigue, headache, weakness, and perception of intoxication due to alcohol alone. This effect depends on alcohol limb but disappears when the complexity of the task increases, when driving for example. Moreover, studies clearly showed that CAB/AEDs increase impulsivity which conducts to an overconsumption of alcohol and enhanced motivation to drink compared to alcohol alone, potentiating the risk of developing addictive behaviors. This is a huge problem in adolescents with high impulsivity and immature decision making processes.

CONCLUSION

Although energy drinks counteract some cognitive deficits due to alcohol alone, their association promotes the risk of developing alcohol addiction. As a consequence, it is necessary to better understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these interactions in order to better prevent the development of alcohol dependence.

Associations between alcohol-use and depression symptoms in adolescence: Examining gender differences and pathways over time

Several studies examining alcohol use and depression in youth have focused on documenting prevalence of overlap, or temporal ordering in longitudinal samples. Fewer studies have examined pathways connecting alcohol use and depression over time. This study examined gender differences between depression and alcohol use across adolescence while examining peer and family pathways as possible mediators of effects. Data was collected longitudinally from 593 families from three urban public middle schools in the United States. Participants were recruited in 6th grade and followed through 9th grade. We examined gender differences using a nested model comparison approach. Results indicated the association between depression and alcohol use differs by gender. For males, depression and alcohol use were independent across adolescence, and no significant indirect pathways were observed. For females, bidirectional effects were found between alcohol use and depression, as well as an indirect effect from depression to alcohol use via peer deviance.

Involvement of the Hippocampus in Binge Ethanol-Induced Spleen Atrophy in Adolescent Rats

BACKGROUND

Ethanol (EtOH) affects the immune system. Binge drinking of hard liquor initiates a stress response. This form of drinking is popular during adolescence, which involves maturation of the immune system. The spleen is a key immune organ, and spleen atrophy is associated with immunosuppression. While the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a key role in the initial stress response, the hippocampus may be involved in stress beyond the HPA axis.

METHODS

Blood ethanol concentration (BEC), blood endotoxin levels, and plasma corticosterone levels were measured following binge EtOH treatment. Absolute and relative spleen sizes were analyzed, and stress-related gene expression was compared in the hypothalamus and hippocampus. Polymerase chain reaction array was performed to analyze the expression profile of EtOH metabolism and immune regulation-related genes in the spleen. Relationships among variables were analyzed using the Pearson correlation.

RESULTS

At 24 hours following a 3-day EtOH treatment, no significant difference in BEC was detected between EtOH-treated and control rats. Average plasma endotoxin levels in EtOH-treated animals were significantly higher than in controls, and spleen size was significantly lower. Spleen size did not correlate with plasma endotoxin levels; however, it did significantly negatively correlate with plasma corticosterone levels. Spleen size significantly negatively correlated with hippocampal CRH expression and significantly positively correlated with hippocampal MR expression. No correlation was observed in the hypothalamus. Significantly higher hippocampal CRH and significantly lower MR expression was seen in low spleen/body weight (sp-wt) ratio rats. No gene was found to decrease expression ≥1.5-fold (p < 0.05) in the spleen of high sp-wt group, whereas expression of several genes, including Gabra1, Gabra5, Ifnb1, Irf9, Il12b, and Cx3cr1, decreased significantly in the low sp-wt group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that binge EtOH exposure causes lower spleen size in adolescents and that the hippocampus and stress may be associated with alterations in spleen structure and gene expression.