Multiple-domain predictors of problematic alcohol use in young adulthood

Retrospective self-reports of sensitivity to the effects of alcohol: Trait-like stability and concomitant changes with alcohol involvement

OBJECTIVE

Lower sensitivity to the acute effects of alcohol is known to confer risk for the development of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol sensitivity, or level of response to alcohol's subjective effects, is heritable but also can change as a result of persistent alcohol exposure (i.e., acquired tolerance). Here, we examined how changes over time in four indices of alcohol involvement affected scores on two validated, retrospective self-report measures of alcohol response-the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) form and the Alcohol Sensitivity Questionnaire (ASQ)-in a sample of emerging adult drinkers.

METHOD

Participants (N = 173; Mage = 19.5 years; 60% assigned female at birth) completed the ASQ, SRE, and measures of alcohol use and problems at two time points separated by a median of 0.77 years (range: 0.30-2.54 years).

RESULTS

Multiple linear regression showed that increases in drinking over this period accounted for increases in SRE and ASQ scores (i.e., in reported numbers of drinks needed to experience subjective effects of alcohol). Increased drinking accounted for more variance in the number of drinks needed to experience lighter drinking versus heavier drinking effects, and increases in the number of drinks consumed per occasion had a larger effect than did changes in total numbers of drinks consumed, number of binge-drinking occasions, or drinking-related problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that both SRE and ASQ capture some stable, trait-like variability in alcohol response as well as some state-dependent, within-person variability in alcohol response acquired through increases in alcohol involvement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors associated with the onset of smoking and alcohol consumption: A cross-sectional study among Lebanese adolescents in schools

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate factors and profiles associated with the earlier onset of cigarette/waterpipe smoking and alcohol consumption among Lebanese adolescents in schools.

METHODS

A total of 4000 adolescents (mean age = 15.31 ± 2.01 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. The standardized questionnaire was taken from the Health Behavior in School Children (HBSC) study in different countries (France, Belgium, and the USA) and adjusted to the Lebanese population. K-means clustering analysis was conducted to classify participants into three clusters according to their patterns (surrounded by smokers, surrounded by drinkers, and ease of talking to family members and friends) and Cox regression analyzes were conducted.

RESULTS

Participants were divided into three clusters. Cluster 1 (16.75% of participants) included adolescents with the lowest ease of talking to a family member or friend, with the latter smoking and drinking a lot (worst cluster). Cluster 2 (54.95%) included adolescents with moderate ease of talking to a family member and more to friends, surrounded by low-to-moderate smoking and alcohol consumption, particularly for a best friend (positive influence cluster). Finally, cluster 3 (28.30%) included adolescents with low ease of talking to friends, moderate ease of talking to a family member, and low-to-moderate smoking and alcohol consumption (low influence cluster). The results of the Cox regressions (taking the age at onset of smoking cigarettes and waterpipes as the dependent variables) showed that older age at onset of cigarette and waterpipe smoking was significantly associated with female participants and those belonging to clusters 2 and 3 compared to cluster 1. Moreover, a younger age at first alcohol use and getting drunk was significantly associated with living outside Beirut, whereas female gender and belonging to clusters 2 or 3 compared to cluster 1 were significantly associated with older age at first alcohol use and getting drunk.

CONCLUSION

This study identified risk factors (ease of talking as well as smoking and alcohol-drinking status of parents, siblings, and friends) and profiles related to early alcohol and cigarette/waterpipe use. These risk factors and profiles could help implement prevention campaigns to reduce substance use and improve adolescent health.

Alcohol and Brain Development in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Advisory Report of the Health Council of the Netherlands

Young people, whose brains are still developing, might entail a greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol consumption on brain function and development. A committee of experts of the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluated the state of scientific knowledge regarding the question whether alcohol negatively influences brain development in young people. A systematic literature search for prospective studies was performed in PubMed and PsychINFO, for longitudinal studies of adolescents or young adults ranging between 12 and 24 y of age at baseline, investigating the relation between alcohol use and outcome measures of brain structure and activity, cognitive functioning, educational achievement, or alcohol use disorder (AUD), with measures at baseline and follow-up of the outcome of interest. Data were extracted from original articles and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A total of 77 studies were included, 31 of which were of sufficient quality in relation to the study objectives. There were indications that the gray matter of the brain develops abnormally in young people who drink alcohol. In addition, the more often young people drink or the younger they start, the higher the risk of developing AUD later in life. The evidence on white matter volume or quality, brain activity, cognitive function, and educational achievement is still limited or unclear. The committee found indications that alcohol consumption can have a negative effect on brain development in adolescents and young adults and entails a risk of later AUD. The committee therefore considers it a wise choice for adolescents and young adults not to drink alcohol.

An Association Study of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor Variants and Susceptibility to Autism Spectrum Disorders

In this pilot study, we aim to identify the role of few genetic variants of GABA-receptor type A subunits GABRB3 (rs4906902, rs7171660), GABRG3 (rs208129, rs140679), GABRA5 (rs 140681) in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorders in a population of West Bengal. 192 ASD probands, their parents and 184 ethnically-matched healthy controls were recruited for the study. The rs4906902G and the rs140679T conferred significant risk towards ASD. rs7171660 and rs140679 had transmission bias in the family. Neither alleles of rs 208129 and rs 140681 showed significant over-representation in either groups. All these variants were associated with at least one deficit in ASD-associated phenotypes like 'relating to people', 'Imitation', 'emotional response', 'body use', 'taste, smell, touch response' and 'activity levels'.

Jugend und Alkohol

Im vorliegenden Artikel wird auf die Rolle von Alkohol in unserer Gesellschaft sowie auf dessen Bedeutung für Jugendliche eingegangen. Spezifika der Wechselwirkung von Alkohol und dem adoleszenten Gehirn werden erläutert und die epidemiologische Entwicklung des Alkoholkonsums bei österreichischen Minderjährigen beschrieben. Es werden darüber hinaus relevanteRisiken für problematische Konsummuster und mögliche Wege zur Prävention erörtert.

Population Attributable Fraction of Early Age of Onset of Alcohol Use in Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study in University Students

BACKGROUND

we aimed to determine the risk factors and associated population attributable fractions (PAFs) for the age of onset of alcohol use and also to identify protective factors.

METHODS

we analyzed follow-up data collected between autumn 2011 and spring 2016 (n = 5170) from the first two cohorts (2011, 2012) of the Spit for ScienceTM project. The dependent variables were alcohol abuse and dependence, and the independent variables were age of drinking onset, residence, ethnicity, religiosity, sexual orientation and work status. We determined the odds ratios (OR) using multilevel logistic regression for repeated measures in SPSSv.20.

RESULTS

the early onset of alcohol use was associated with an increased risk of alcohol abuse and dependence among females (OR = 14.98; OR = 11.83) and males (OR = 7.41; OR = 6.24). The PAFs for the early onset of alcohol use in alcohol abuse and dependence were respectively 80.9% and 71.7% in females and 71.0% and 63.5% in males. Among females, being white (OR = 1.58; OR = 1.51), living off-campus (OR = 1.73; OR = 2.76) and working full-time (OR = 1.69; OR = 1.78) were also risk factors. Strong religious beliefs were found to protect males from alcohol abuse (OR = 0.58), while same-gender sexual orientation increased the risk among females (OR = 2.09).

CONCLUSION

delaying the age of onset by one year would reduce alcohol abuse among young adults.

Interoceptive accuracy and interoceptive sensibility in individuals with alcohol use disorder-Different phenomena with different clinical correlations?

BACKGROUND

Interoception may contribute to substance use disorder as it relates to the body's experience of substance use or withdrawal. However, only a few studies have directly investigated associations between interoception and alcohol use. The objective of this study was to compare individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and healthy controls on interoceptive sensibility and accuracy.

METHODS

The sample was comprised of two groups: individuals meeting criteria for AUD (N = 114) and healthy controls (N = 110) not meeting criteria for AUD. Interoceptive sensibility was assessed with a self-report measure (the Private Body Consciousness subscale) and interoceptive accuracy - with a behavioral measure (the Schandry test). In addition, associations between interoception and other well-recognized correlates of AUD (sleep problems, depressive and anxiety symptoms, impulsivity) were tested. Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Athens Insomnia Scale were utilized to assess psychopathological symptoms as covariates.

RESULTS

When controlling for level of anxiety, sleep problems, age, sex and education, individuals with AUD scored significantly higher on self-reported interoceptive sensibility and lower on interoceptive accuracy in comparison to healthy controls. Higher interoceptive sensibility was associated with more severe sleep problems and anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

These results have to be treated as preliminary and need to be replicated; however, findings indicate that interoception may present a novel therapeutic target for treatment of AUD.

Association Between Interoception and Emotion Regulation in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder

INTRODUCTION

Sensing body-related information includes interoceptive sensibility (the tendency to focus on internal body sensations) and accuracy (precision in perceiving real internal processes). Interoception and emotion regulation have both been linked to alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the association between these factors have not been investigated within a clinical group of individuals with AUD.

OBJECTIVES

The current study examines associations between emotion regulation and interoceptive accuracy and sensibility among individuals with AUD and healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS

The sample comprised 165 individuals meeting criteria for AUD and 110 HCs. Interoceptive sensibility was assessed with a self-report measure (the Private Body Consciousness subscale) and interoceptive accuracy - with a behavioral measure (the Schandry test). Emotion regulation domains: non-acceptance of negative emotions, inability to engage in goal-directed behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies, and lack of own emotional awareness and clarity were assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Associations between interoception and emotion regulation were assessed while controlling for sleep problems, depressive symptoms, age, and sex.

RESULTS

Higher interoceptive accuracy was negatively associated with DERS subscale of non-acceptance of negative emotions in the AUD group (but not in the HC group). Higher interoceptive sensibility was significantly associated with problems in controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions. This association was moderated by symptoms of AUD. Higher interoceptive sensibility was associated with higher emotional awareness, but only in the HC group.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with AUD who are more interoceptively accurate may be more effective in regulating their emotions. On the other hand, individuals with AUD who are more interoceptively sensible, may have problems with controlling their behaviors while experiencing negative emotional states.

Gendering Genetics: Biological Contingencies in the Protective Effects of Social Integration for Men and Women

Evidence that social and biological processes are intertwined in producing health and human behavior is rapidly accumulating. Using a feminist approach, this research explores how gender moderates the interaction between biological processes and men's and women's behavioral and emotional responses to similar social environments. Using data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, the influence of gender, social integration, and genetic risk on nicotine and alcohol dependence is examined. Three-way interaction models reveal gender-specific moderation of interactions between genetic risk score and social integration. Namely, being currently married and reporting positive social psychological integration are predictive of reduced risk of nicotine dependence among men with genetic susceptibility to strong nicotine cravings in the presence of social cues like stress. In contrast, the protective effects of marital status and social integration are substantially attenuated and absent, respectively, among women with high-risk genotypes. This pattern reflects the dualism (i.e., simultaneous costs and benefits) inherent in social integration for women, which may disproportionately affect those with a genetic sensitivity to stress. These findings contest the notion of genotype as static biological hardwiring that is independent from social and cultural systems of gender difference.

Childhood and adolescent predictors of heavy episodic drinking and alcohol use disorder at ages 21 and 33: a domain-specific cumulative risk model

OBJECTIVE

Guided by a domain-specific cumulative risk model and an emerging notion of general and alcohol-specific influences, this study examined whether general and alcohol-specific influences from family, peer, and school contexts in childhood and adolescence differentially predict heavy episodic drinking and alcohol use disorder at two developmental periods: the transition to adulthood (age 21) and later in adulthood (age 33).

METHOD

Data are from a longitudinal panel study (n = 808) examining the etiology of substance use problems and associated behavior problems from age 10 to age 33 in a Northwest United States urban community sample. The sample is ethnically diverse and evenly distributed by gender (51% male).

RESULTS

At age 21, alcohol problems were most consistently predicted by adolescent family alcohol and peer alcohol environments and by peer general environment, but not by general family functioning. Conversely, by age 33, alcohol problems were more consistently predicted by general poor family functioning in adolescence and not by family alcohol or any of the peer environment measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent family and peer alcohol environment influenced alcohol problems at the transition to adulthood. However, alcohol problems later in adulthood were more strongly associated with general poor family functioning in adolescence. These results suggest that alcohol prevention efforts should involve both components designed to reduce alcohol-specific risk and components to improve general family and peer environments during childhood and adolescence.

Genes associated with alcohol outcomes show enrichment of effects with broad externalizing and impulsivity phenotypes in an independent sample

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate evidence for association with a panel of genes previously associated with alcohol-related traits in a new sample of adolescent and young adult individuals (N = 2,128; 51% female) collected as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). We tested for association with phenotypes related to externalizing behavior, including diagnostic symptom counts for disorders on the externalizing spectrum (alcohol dependence, conduct disorder, adult antisocial personality disorder, and illicit drug dependence), and related behavioral/personality traits (Achenbach Externalizing, NEO Extraversion, NEO Conscientiousness, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking, and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale) based on the substantial literature suggesting that these behaviors may be alternate manifestations of a shared genetic liability.

METHOD

We tested for overall enrichment of the set of 215 genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for each of the phenotypes. We conducted secondary analyses comparing results for sensation seeking with results for the other phenotypes.

RESULTS

For all phenotypes, there was significant enrichment of association results (p < .05) compared with chance expectations. The greatest number of significant results was observed with the phenotype Sensation Seeking. Secondary analyses indicated that the number of SNPs yielding p < .05 with Sensation Seeking was significantly greater than that observed for each of the other phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

We find evidence for enrichment of association results across a spectrum of externalizing phenotypes with a panel of candidate genes/SNPs selected based on previous suggestion of association with alcohol-related outcomes. In particular, we find significant enrichment of effects with sensation seeking, suggesting that this may be a particularly salient behavior associated with risk for alcohol-related problems.

Educational inequalities in the co-occurrence of mental health and substance use problems, and its adult socio-economic consequences: a longitudinal study of young adults in a community sample

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationship between the co-occurrence of mental health and substance use problems and socio-economic status (SES).

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective longitudinal study of 808 males and females followed to age 30.

METHODS

Survey data were used to derive latent classes (profiles) of mental health (depression, anxiety) and substance use (alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana [cannabis]) problems at age 27. Analyses examined the associations of these profiles with earlier educational attainment (high school diploma) and indicators of SES at age 30.

RESULTS

Latent Class Analysis produced four profiles: a low disorder symptoms group, a licit substance use disorder symptoms group (alcohol and nicotine), a mental health disorder symptoms group, and a comorbid group. Earning a high school diploma by age 21 decreased the odds of belonging to the comorbid group or the licit substance use disorder symptoms group when compared to the low disorder symptoms group. These disorder profiles also were found to adversely impact subsequent adult SES. The adverse impact was more evident in income maintenance and wealth accumulation by age 30 than market or non-market labour force participation.

CONCLUSIONS

Earning a high school diploma lessens the risk of co-occurring mental health and substance use problems which contribute to economic instability in young adulthood. Findings underscore the importance of public health programmes to reduce the incidence of mental health and substance use problems and their associated high costs to individuals and to society.

Adolescence and Alcohol: a review of the literature

Up to two thirds of adolescents consume alcohol and about a quarter engage in abusive behavior at some point. Many users begin alcohol use at young ages, and binge drinking is a dominant pattern for a proportion of youth. Because neurogenesis is inhibited by ethanol, consequences of adolescent alcohol abuse include changes in brain development and impairment of neurocognitive performance. A variety of mental and psychosocial problems are also often witnessed in alcohol abusing youth. Apart from the influence exerted by genetic and psychosocial factors, the chance of developing problematic alcohol consumption is increased by consumption in a binge drinking manner and by first contact with alcohol at a young age. Discrimination of alcohol consumption within the frames of normal adolescent behavior from problematic use is still a challenging issue. Different prevention programs provide treatment either directly to the adolescent, in the context of the school, or within the frame of the adolescent's family. Although some of these efforts have been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol misuse in youth, hardly any intervention reveals satisfactory outcomes in a long-term prospect. Successful prevention strategies would need to comprise treatment of current neuropsychological impairment as well as of comorbid mental health problems and concurrent other substance misuse.

α2-containing GABA(A) receptors: a target for the development of novel treatment strategies for CNS disorders

GABA(A) receptors have important physiological functions, as revealed by pharmacological studies and experiments involving gene-targeted mouse models, and are the target of widely used drugs such as the benzodiazepines. In this review, we are summarizing current knowledge about the function of α2-containing GABA(A) receptors, a receptor subtype representing approximately 15-20% of all GABA(A) receptors. This receptor subtype mediates anxiolytic-like, reward-enhancing, and antihyperalgesic actions of diazepam, and has antidepressant-like properties. Secondary insufficiency of α2-containing GABA(A) receptors has been postulated to play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and may be involved in cognitive impairment in other disorders. Moreover, polymorphisms in the GABRA2 gene encoding the GABA(A) receptor α2 subunit have been found to be linked to chronic alcohol dependence and to polydrug abuse. Thus, α2-containing GABA(A) receptors are involved in the regulation and/or modulation of emotional behaviors and of chronic pain, and appear to be a valid target for novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and chronic pain.

Parental relationship satisfaction in French young adults associated with alcohol abuse and dependence

Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for disease in developed countries. In addition to genetic susceptibility, alcohol consumption is shaped by one's social and family environment. With data from 2009, we examined associations between satisfaction with familial relationships and alcohol abuse and dependence using a national sample of 1101 French young adults aged 22-35. Alcohol-related problems were measured with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Main exposure variables included young adults' self-report of satisfaction with parental relationships. In adjusted logistic regression models, having a poor relationship with one's mother (OR=1.8, 95%CI 1.0-3.6) or father (OR=1.8, 95% CI 1.0-3.2) was associated with alcohol abuse and dependence. Gender stratified analyses indicated unsatisfactory maternal relationships were associated with alcohol problems in women (OR=2.6, 95%CI 1.1-6.6); unsatisfactory paternal relationships were suggestive of alcohol abuse in men (OR=2.0, 95%CI 0.9-4.7), but not in women. Non-cohabitation with a romantic partner was associated with an almost three-fold increase of alcohol abuse and dependence in men (OR=2.8, 95% CI 1.6-4.8). The quality of parental relationships may be important for alcohol abuse, particularly when the parent is the same gender. Family-centered approaches may be considered in prevention efforts to reduce problem drinking in French young adults.

Structuring a college alcohol prevention program on the low level of response to alcohol model: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

New approaches are needed to bolster the modest effects of campus drinking prevention programs. However, more definitive research on new paradigms is very expensive, and in the current economic climate, progress can be made by evaluating smaller pilot studies. This study describes one such approach.

METHODS

A sample of 18-year-old or older, healthy, drinking freshmen at our university was assigned to 2 groups stratified to be similar on demography, drinking histories, and their level of response (LR) to alcohol. In the spring quarter of the school year, the 32 subjects in each of 2 groups viewed four 45-minute Internet-based videotapes as part of 4 prevention sessions. All 8 modules were based on the same techniques and general content, but the 4 videos for the first group were structured around the validated model of how a low LR affects heavy drinking (the low level of response-based [LRB] Group), with partial mediation by heavier drinking peers, positive alcohol expectancies, and drinking to cope with stress. Videos for the state-of-the-art (SOTA) comparison group did not place the similar prevention messages into the low LR framework. Changes in drinking were evaluated at 3 times: before Module 1, before Module 4, and 1 month after Module 4.

RESULTS

Usual and maximum drinks per occasion decreased over time for both high and low LR subjects in both LRB and SOTA groups. As predicted, the low LR students showed greater decreases in the LRB Group, while high LR students showed greater decreases in the more generic SOTA Group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the hypothesis that tailoring prevention efforts to address specific predisposing factors, such as a low LR, may be associated with beneficial effects on drinking quantity. We hope that these data will encourage additional efforts to validate the low LR-based prevention paradigm and test other interventions that are targeted toward predisposing phenotypes such as impulsivity and negative affect.

Effect of alcohol consumption in prenatal life, childhood, and adolescence on child development

The effects of alcohol consumption in adults are well described in the literature, while knowledge about the effects of alcohol consumption in children is more limited and less systematic. The present review shows how alcohol consumption may negatively influence the neurobiological and neurobehavioral development of humans. Three different periods of life have been considered: the prenatal term, childhood, and adolescence. For each period, evidence of the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol consumption, including neurodevelopmental effects and associations with subsequent alcohol abuse or dependence, is presented.

Testing a level of response to alcohol-based model of heavy drinking and alcohol problems in 1,905 17-year-olds

BACKGROUND

The low level of response (LR) to alcohol is one of several genetically influenced characteristics that increase the risk for heavy drinking and alcohol problems. Efforts to understand how LR operates through additional life influences have been carried out primarily in modest-sized U.S.-based samples with limited statistical power, raising questions about generalizability and about the importance of components with smaller effects. This study evaluates a full LR-based model of risk in a large sample of adolescents from the United Kingdom.

METHODS

Cross-sectional structural equation models were used for the approximate first half of the age 17 subjects assessed by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, generating data on 1,905 adolescents (mean age 17.8 years, 44.2% boys). LR was measured with the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire, outcomes were based on drinking quantities and problems, and standardized questionnaires were used to evaluate peer substance use, alcohol expectancies, and using alcohol to cope with stress.

RESULTS

In this young and large U.K. sample, a low LR related to more adverse alcohol outcomes both directly and through partial mediation by all 3 additional key variables (peer substance use, expectancies, and coping). The models were similar in boys and girls.

CONCLUSIONS

These results confirm key elements of the hypothesized LR-based model in a large U.K. sample, supporting some generalizability beyond U.S. groups. They also indicate that with enough statistical power, multiple elements contribute to how LR relates to alcohol outcomes and reinforce the applicability of the model to both genders.

Exposure to a high-fat diet decreases sensitivity to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced motor effects in female rats

Arachidonic acid, a fatty acid component of neuronal cell membranes, forms the backbone of endogenous ligands of the endocannabinoid system. The lipid nature of this system may make it particularly susceptible to changes in fat content of the diet, which may, in turn, affect endocannabinoid tone and subsequent changes in receptor expression or activity. The latter would also be expected to affect responses to exogenous cannabinoids. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of a high-fat diet on sensitivity to the pharmacological effects of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC). Male and female Long-Evans rats were fed either a diet of standard rodent chow or chow enhanced with corn oil. Subsequently, they were repeatedly assessed for Δ(9)-THC-induced hypomobility, catalepsy and hypothermia. Female rats that received the high-fat diet beginning in adolescence or in adulthood became significantly less sensitive to the effects of Δ(9)-THC on motor behavior, but not its hypothermic effects, with faster development of decreased sensitivity in female rats that began the high-fat diet as adults. In contrast, diet-induced differences either did not occur, or were less pronounced, in male rats of both ages. After acute injection, brain and blood levels of Δ(9)-THC and its two primary metabolites were similar regardless of diet. Combined with the fact that diet differentially affected only some of the measures, these results suggest that pharmacokinetic differences cannot fully account for the effects of the high-fat diet on response to Δ(9)-THC. Further, these results suggest that dietary fat content may represent an important consideration in predicting the effects of marijuana in females.

Development and Vulnerability Factors in Adolescent Alcohol Use

This article provides an overview of the characteristics of adolescent alcohol use, normative and subgroup variations in drinking behavior, and the important factors associated with an increased risk for developing alcohol problems in later adolescence and young adulthood. Parental or family histories of alcoholism, temperament traits, conduct problems, cognitive functioning, alcohol expectancies, and peer and other social relations are identified as factors influencing an adolescent's susceptibility for initiating a variety of alcohol use behaviors. The deviance prone model, proposed by Sher in 1991, is presented as an important tool for testing possible relationships among the various risk factors and their sequencing that leads to early adolescent alcohol use and drug initiation. It is also possible to extend the model to allow for an examination of the complex interplay of risk factors that lead to the development of alcohol use problems in late adolescence and young adults.

P300 and the stroop effect in overweight minority adolescents

AIM

The goal was to examine the relationship between a risk factor for poor cognitive control and a health outcome of growing public significance--an excess body mass--among adolescents.

METHODS

To this end, 109 adolescents aged 14-20 years were recruited and assigned to 1 of 4 groups defined by the crossing of the absence versus presence of a parental history (PH) of externalizing disorders with a body mass index (BMI) percentile (BMIP) < 85 versus > or = 85. The principal measure estimating cognitive control was the P300 event-related electroencephalographic response recorded during the Stroop task.

RESULTS

The analyses revealed a synergistic interaction between BMIP rank, PH and trial type: the increase in P300 latency and the decrease in response accuracy, elicited by the presence of interfering information, were markedly greater in high-BMIP subjects with a PH of externalizing disorders than in the other subject groups. Analyses of a later component, the N450, previously associated with the Stroop interference effect, revealed no effect of BMI or PH.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that subjects with both a PH of externalizing disorders and an excess BMI constitute a unique group that is less able to resolve cognitive conflict than others. The excessive delay in P300 evoked by conflicting response demands in these subjects may be a marker of a heritable factor that increases risk for both excess body mass and substance use disorders.

Comparing structural equation models that use different measures of the level of response to alcohol

BACKGROUND

The two measures of a low level of response (LR) to alcohol, an alcohol challenge and the retrospective Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol questionnaire (SRE), each identify individuals at high risk for heavy drinking and alcohol problems. These measures also perform similarly in identifying subjects with unique functional brain imaging characteristics. However, few data are available regarding whether alcohol challenge-based and SRE-based LRs operate similarly in structural equation models (SEMs) that search for characteristics, which help to mediate how LR impacts alcohol outcomes.

METHODS

Two hundred and ninety-four men from the San Diego Prospective Study were evaluated for their LR to alcohol using alcohol challenges at approximately age 20. At approximately age 35, the same subjects filled out the SRE regarding the number of drinks needed for effects 15 to 20 years earlier. The two different LR scores for these men were used in SEM analyses evaluating how LR relates to future heavy drinking and to drinking in peers (PEER), alcohol expectancies (EXPECT), and drinking to cope (COPE) as potential mediators of the LR to drinking pattern (ALCOUT) relationships.

RESULTS

While the 2 LR measures that were determined 15 years apart related to each other at a modest level (r = 0.17, p < 0.01), the SEM results were similar regardless of the LR source. In both alcohol challenge-based and SRE-based LR models, LR related directly to ALCOUT, with partial mediation from PEER and COPE, but not through EXPECT in these 35-year-old men.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with the >60% overlap in prediction of outcomes for the 2 LR measures, and with results from functional brain imaging, alcohol challenge- and SRE-based LR values operated similarly in SEM models in these men.

Neural circuitry associated with risk for alcohol use disorders

The core features of risk for alcohol use disorders (AUD), including behavioral disinhibition, affective dysregulation, and executive dysfunction, map onto distinct neural circuits that have been found to be abnormal in the offspring of alcohol dependent individuals. Components of the cerebellothalamocortical system and the extended limbic network may provide the underpinnings for the behavioral and emotional dysfunction observed in individuals at heightened risk for AUD. In addition, abnormalities in these structures appear to be altered in individuals with the predisposition for other psychiatric conditions that may share a similar genetic diathesis. This review proposes several neurobehavioral mechanisms of genetic vulnerability that may account for phenotypic characteristics in individuals at risk for AUD.

Candidate genes for alcohol preference identified by expression profiling in alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring reciprocal congenic rats

BACKGROUND

Selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats differ greatly in alcohol preference, in part due to a highly significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 4. Alcohol consumption scores of reciprocal chromosome 4 congenic strains NP.P and P.NP correlated with the introgressed interval. The goal of this study was to identify candidate genes that may influence alcohol consumption by comparing gene expression in five brain regions of alcohol-naïve inbred alcohol-preferring and P.NP congenic rats: amygdala, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, caudate putamen, and frontal cortex.

RESULTS

Within the QTL region, 104 cis-regulated probe sets were differentially expressed in more than one region, and an additional 53 were differentially expressed in a single region. Fewer trans-regulated probe sets were detected, and most differed in only one region. Analysis of the average expression values across the 5 brain regions yielded 141 differentially expressed cis-regulated probe sets and 206 trans-regulated probe sets. Comparing the present results from inbred alcohol-preferring vs. congenic P.NP rats to earlier results from the reciprocal congenic NP.P vs. inbred alcohol-nonpreferring rats demonstrated that 74 cis-regulated probe sets were differentially expressed in the same direction and with a consistent magnitude of difference in at least one brain region.

CONCLUSIONS

Cis-regulated candidate genes for alcohol consumption that lie within the chromosome 4 QTL were identified and confirmed by consistent results in two independent experiments with reciprocal congenic rats. These genes are strong candidates for affecting alcohol preference in the inbred alcohol-preferring and inbred alcohol-nonpreferring rats.

A principal components analysis of the abbreviated Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ)

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine the abbreviated Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ) with respect to component structure and concurrent validity.

METHOD

The DAQ was administered to 2,960 adults participating in the Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcohol. Rotated principal components analysis was conducted on 1,500 subjects with an alcohol-use disorder (AUD) and on 1,460 non-AUD subjects. Total DAQ scores were compared for these two subsamples. In addition, correlations were computed between DAQ scores and the following: (1) a sum of alcohol symptoms, and (2) endorsement of a single interview craving question.

RESULTS

Similar solutions emerged in the AUD and non-AUD subsamples, with dimensions characterized by (1) strong desires/intentions to drink, (2) negative reinforcement, and (3) positive reinforcement + ability to control drinking. Each component was significantly correlated with the alcohol symptom scale in both subsamples (r(s) = .25-.64 and .31-.40, respectively, p < .0001) and with the interview craving item in the AUD subsample (r(s) = .22-.55, p < .0001). Total DAQ score was significantly higher for AUD subjects (40.5) than for non-AUD subjects (23.1, p < .0001) and exhibited significant correlations with the alcohol symptom scale in the AUD and non-AUD subsamples (r(s) = .61 and .39, respectively, p < .0001) and with the interview craving item in the AUD subsample (r(s) = .51, p < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The DAQ is an appropriate measure of alcohol craving, as demonstrated by similar component structures across two samples as well as its concurrent validity.