Alcohol

Issues Available Online

ENOCH, M.-A., WHITE, K.V., HARRIS, C.R., ROHRBAUGH, J.W. AND GOLDMAN, D.    The Relationship between Two Intermediate Phenotypes for Alcoholism: Low Voltage Alpha EEG and Low P300 ERP Amplitude

Objective: There is considerable evidence that the amplitude of the heritable P300 event-related potential (ERP) is reduced in alcoholics and their alcohol-naive children. Low voltage alpha (LVA), a heritable resting electroencephalogram (EEG) trait present in 7-14% of the population, has been shown to be associated with alcoholism and anxiety disorders. A few studies have demonstrated a modest correlation between pre-stimulus alpha power and P300 amplitude. We aimed to test this finding in community volunteers, hypothesizing that LVA would be associated with low P300 amplitude. Method: Digitized resting EEG was recorded at the central parietal site (Pz) from 85 male and 113 female community volunteers (120 unrelated). ERPs were elicited at Pz by auditory and visual oddball paradigms. All participants were interviewed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders, Lifetime Version (SADS-L) and assigned blind-rated psychiatric diagnoses according to the American Psychiatric Association DSM-III-R criteria. Results: LVA participants (including alcoholics and nonalcoholics) had significantly lower auditory and visual P300 amplitudes. Absolute alpha power was modestly correlated with auditory and visual P300 amplitude and was associated with 9.4% and 4.6% of the variance, respectively. Conclusions: The association between LVA and low P300 amplitude, two distinct electrophysiological traits, suggests that, at least in individuals with the LVA trait, some aspects of resting, unstimulated brain activity and activated brain function in the form of attentional response may be fundamentally related. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 509-517, 2002)

VON DER PAHLEN, B., SARKOLA, T., SEPPÄ, K., AND ERIKSSON, C.J.P.    Testosterone, 5"-Dihydrotestosterone and Cortisol in Men with and without Alcohol-Related Aggression

Objective: The present investigation was designed to study steroid hormones, alcohol and aggression interactions in men with a history of alcohol-related aggression (AGG+) and in a cross-sectional control population (AGG-). Method: AGG+ (n = 40) and AGG- (n = 44) male volunteers completed the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the revised Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), after which plasma-free and total testosterone, 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and cortisol were determined. Results: The AGG+ men displayed significantly (p < .05) higher aggression and MAST measures compared with the AGG- men; however, no significant group differences were observed regarding the hormone values. Independently of the steroid hormones, MAST correlated positively with the hostility subscale in both AGG- and AGG+ groups. Free and total testosterone correlated positively with anger and DHT correlated positively with verbal aggression and anger, whereas cortisol correlated negatively with physical aggression and anger in the AGG- group. No significant correlations between steroid hormones and aggression parameters were observed in the AGG+ group. The age factor explained part of the MAST and steroid hormone correlations with aggression. A hormone and MAST independent moderation effect of age upon aggression was also found. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates an association between alcohol drinking and self-reported sober-state aggression, which implies that the etiology of alcohol misuse and aggressive behavior may involve common biological and/or social factors. These mechanisms, as well as age, androgens and cortisol, all represent factors that, in combination, regulate human aggression. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 518-526, 2002)

SOBUE, I., TAKESHITA, T., MARUYAMA, S. AND MORIMOTO, K.    The Effects of Low Km Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH2) Phenotype on Drinking Behavior in Japanese University Students

Objective: The present study investigated the relationship between a history of a flushing reaction and drinking behavior in Japanese university students, adjusting for the effects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors including academic year, school division, club membership and housing situation. Method: In 1995, 419 men and 321 women at Kyoto University were enrolled in a study using informed consent. Subjects were classified as nonflushers or flushers by using a self-reported measure, the ALST (Alcohol Sensitivity Screening Test). Alcohol drinking behavior during the last year, including drinking frequency, alcohol intake per occasion and problem drinking behavior, was investigated. Results: Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.8 times higher frequency of drinking with family members (p < .01) and drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with family members (p < .05). Male nonflushers drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with friends than did male flushers (p < .0001) and showed significantly heavier mean alcohol consumption per month than male flushers did (p < .001). Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.7 times higher rate of high-problem drinking (p < .01). In contrast, none of these drinking behaviors differed between female nonflushers and female flushers. Conclusions: Even after adjusting for aspects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors, flushing reactions among Japanese university students were significantly related to drinking behavior in men but not in women. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 527-530, 2002)

ALIYEV, N.N. AND ALIYEV, Z.N.    The Role of Amino-Acid Transmitters in the Pathogenesis of Delirium Tremens: A Brief Report

Objective: The importance of serum levels of amino-acid neurotransmitters and of relevant enzymes has not been adequately evaluated in alcoholics. It is hypothesized that several of these neurotransmitters would be likely to be elevated in alcoholics overall, those with alcoholic withdrawal and, especially, individuals undergoing severe withdrawal as might be seen in delirium tremens (DTs). Method: The subjects for these evaluations (N = 106 men) were 46 hospitalized patients with DTs, 20 subjects with an alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in the absence of DTs, 20 alcohol-dependent individuals not demonstrating withdrawal (ADS) and 20 nonalcoholic controls. The analyses evaluated the serum levels of glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly), as well as the activity of the relevant enzymes glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA transaminase (GABA-T). Results: In these analyses, the subjects with DTs had significantly lower serum values for Gly and GAD, as well as for GABA, while demonstrating elevated values for Asp and Glu. Conclusions: These data support the possibility that some of the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, especially DTs, may be related to an altered balance between neurotoxic, or excitatory, and inhibitory amino-acid neurotransmitters. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 531-533, 2002)

TONIGAN, J.S., MILLER, W.R. AND SCHERMER, C.    Atheists, Agnostics and Alcoholics Anonymous

Objective: In spite of the strong emphasis in AA on spiritual beliefs and practices, findings are mixed about the importance of such beliefs in predicting AA affiliation. This study of the Project MATCH outpatient (N = 952) and aftercare (N = 774) samples tested three hypotheses about the role of client God belief and subsequent AA attendance and benefit, taking into account that some individuals may, in fact, deny the existence of a God. Method: Longitudinal analyses were conducted (N = 1,526) investigating client God beliefs, AA attendance, patterns of AA attendance and alcohol use. Assessments were conducted at intake and in 3-month intervals using the Form 90, Religious Behaviors and Background, and the Alcoholics Anonymous Inventory. Results: 12-Step treatment was significantly more likely to promote pre-post shifts in client God beliefs, and atheist and agnostic clients attended AA significantly less often throughout follow-up relative to clients self-labeled as spiritual and religious. AA attendance, however, was significantly associated with increased abstinence and reductions in drinking intensity regardless of God belief. Finally, no differences in percent days abstinence and drinking intensity were found between atheist and agnostic versus spiritual and religious clients, but clients unsure about their God belief reported significantly higher drinking frequency relative to the other groups. Conclusions: God belief appears to be relatively unimportant in deriving AA-related benefit, but atheist and agnostic clients are less likely to initiate and sustain AA attendance relative to spiritual and religious clients. This apparent reticence to affiliate with AA ought to be clinically recognized when encouraging AA participation. (J. Stud. Alcohol 63: 534-541, 2002)