The influence of traits of disinhibition on the association between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior

BACKGROUND: Past research has demonstrated a link between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior; the processes that may underlie this association remain largely unexplored, however. Recent studies suggest that personality traits such as excitement seeking, impulsivity, and social deviance proneness may play an important role in both behaviors. METHODS: A structural model of the association between disinhibited personality traits, alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior (sex with strangers/one-night stands) was tested. We recruited a sample of 410 college students that reported a wide range of scores on self-reported measures of disinhibition. We hypothesized that disinhibited personality characteristics would be primarily responsible for the association between risky sexual behavior and alcohol problems. A third-variable model was proposed to demonstrate this association. RESULTS: The results suggested that the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior is best explained by their common association with excitement seeking. There was a significant correlation between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior when considered alone. However, when controlling for the effects of personality, the correlation was nonsignificant. In a final model, both excitement seeking and social deviance proneness were found to be significantly associated with alcohol use, and excitement seeking was significantly related to risky sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior is best characterized by a common association with excitement seeking.     

Reduced frontal lobe activity in subjects with high impulsivity and alcoholism

OBJECTIVE: Impulsivity is an important characteristic of many psychiatric disorders, including substance-related disorders. These disinhibitory disorders have a similar underlying genetic diathesis, with each disorder representing a different expression of the same underlying genetic liability. This study assessed whether there is a relationship between impulsivity and alcohol dependence, and their correlations with P3 (P300) amplitude, a proposed endophenotype of alcoholism. METHODS: Healthy control subjects (n=58) and subjects with DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence (n=57) were assessed with a visual oddball task. Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 61 scalp electrodes and P3 amplitudes measured. Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), version 11, was used to evaluate impulsivity. Source localization of P3 was computed using low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). RESULTS: Alcoholic subjects manifested reductions in target P3 amplitudes (p<0.0001). Using LORETA, significantly reduced activation was mapped in the cingulate, medial, and superior frontal regions in alcoholic subjects and highly impulsive subjects. Alcoholic subjects had significantly higher scores on the BIS (p<0.0001) than nonalcoholic individuals. There were significant negative correlations between total scores on BIS and P3 amplitude (r=-0.274, p=0.003, on Pz; r=-0.250, p=0.007, on Cz). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a strong frontal focus of reduced activation during processing of visual targets in alcoholic subjects and individuals with higher impulsivity. The findings suggest that impulsivity may be an important factor that underlies the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. Studies are underway to examine the relationship between impulsivity and ERPs in offspring of alcoholic subjects, and to identify genes associated with the underlying predisposition involved in disinhibitory disorders.     

Impairment on a simulated gambling task in long-term abstinent alcoholics

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that currently active or recently detoxified substance abusers make more disadvantageous decisions on a simulated gambling task (SGT). This study expands on the current literature by using the SGT to examine decision making in long-term abstinent alcoholics (mean of 6.6 years' abstinence) who do not have antisocial personality disorder or a history of conduct disorder. METHODS: A total of 102 subjects (58 controls and 44 abstinent alcoholics) were tested on the SGT, in which subjects choose cards from 4 different decks that vary in terms of the magnitude of the immediate win (large or small) and the magnitude of long-term loss (large or small). The association of SGT performance with alcohol use variables, with the number of externalizing symptoms, and with personality measures of social deviance was examined. RESULTS: Compared with controls, long-term abstinent alcohol-dependent subjects had more externalizing symptoms, had personality profiles associated with a proneness to social deviance, and made more disadvantageous decisions on the SGT. The magnitude of disadvantageous decision making was associated with the duration of peak alcohol use but was associated with only one measure (low socialization) of socially deviant personality traits. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that alcoholics can achieve long-term abstinence despite persistent deficits in decision making and abnormal personality profiles. The decision-making deficits either may be the result of long-term alcoholism or may reflect a factor predisposing to alcoholism that persists with abstinence. The possibility is raised that alcoholics who cannot achieve long-term abstinence are even more impaired on their decision making and have more abnormal personality profiles than the abstinent alcoholics studied here.     

Visual P300s in long-term abstinent chronic alcoholics

BACKGROUND: Evidence of reduced P3b amplitudes in chronic alcoholics and individuals at risk for developing alcoholism suggest that the P3b may be an endophenotypic marker for alcoholism. If this is the case, then long-term abstinent alcoholics (LTAAs) should exhibit reduced P3b amplitudes. Thus far, P3b studies on chronic alcoholics have focused primarily on samples with relatively short-term abstinence (less than 15 months). This study examines the amplitude and latency of the P3b and P3a event-related brain electrical components in LTAAs compared with normal controls (NCs) and whether these measures are related to alcohol use and other subject variables. METHODS: Electroencephalographs (EEGs) were recorded on 48 LTAAs (mean abstinence=6.7 years) compared with 48 age-matched and gender-matched NCs during a visual P300 experiment consisting of standard, target, and rare nontarget conditions. This paradigm elicited the P3b (target condition) and the P3a (rare nontarget condition) components. RESULTS: Long-term abstinent alcoholics had reduced P3b amplitudes and increased P3b latencies in comparison with NCs. Long-term abstinent alcoholics also exhibited delayed P3a components, but no P3a amplitude reductions. Alcohol use variables, a family history of alcohol problems, and the duration of alcohol abstinence were not associated with any amplitude or latency variables. CONCLUSIONS: Even after very prolonged abstinence, reduced P3b amplitudes are present in chronic alcoholics and are not associated with any family history or alcohol use variables. These results provide equivocal support for reduced P3b amplitude being an endophenotypic marker for alcoholism, but are also consistent with P3b being affected by a threshold of alcohol abuse, with the effect not resolving over long periods of abstinence.     

Alcohol use disorders and anxiety disorders: relation to the P300 event-related potential

BACKGROUND: The robust association of alcoholism with reduced P300 event-related potential amplitude has been largely established in severely affected alcoholics and their offspring. Few studies have examined the relationship of increased arousal, anxiety, and P300. In this study, we sought to determine whether P300 group differences could be discerned in well functioning individuals with less severe forms of alcohol use disorders and anxiety disorders. We were particularly interested in looking at the subgroup of alcohol use disorders accompanied by anxiety disorders. This subgroup has previously been found to have diminished alpha amplitude in the resting EEG. METHODS: Male and female community volunteers (99 unrelated index participants and 78 relatives) and 21 unrelated volunteers from an anxiety disorder clinic were interviewed by using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Lifetime version. Blind-rated lifetime psychiatric diagnoses were assigned according to DSM-III-R criteria. Auditory and visual P300 event-related potentials were elicited with an oddball paradigm and were recorded at the midparietal (Pz) site. RESULTS: As expected, auditory P300 amplitudes were significantly reduced in participants with alcohol use disorders and significantly increased in participants with lifetime anxiety disorders. However, more detailed analysis revealed that, in an apparent paradox, auditory P300 amplitudes were lowest in individuals with comorbid alcohol use and anxiety disorders and highest in individuals with anxiety disorders alone. Visual P300 amplitudes followed the same trends but were generally not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Even in a sample of largely community-ascertained individuals, auditory P300 amplitude is reduced in alcoholics, particularly those with anxiety disorders, and is highest in nonalcoholics with anxiety disorders.     

Origins and consequences of age at first drink. I. Associations with substance-use disorders, disinhibitory behavior and psychopathology, and P3 amplitude

BACKGROUND: Although an early age at first drink has been repeatedly associated with substantially elevated rates of alcoholism, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. We investigated whether the association of age at first drink (AFD) with alcoholism was more consistent with the hypothesis that the former causes the latter or the hypothesis that both are manifestations of some common vulnerability. METHODS: We investigated whether substance use and mental health disorders, education, IQ, and personality were associated with AFD in a sample of 2670 adults; whether P3 amplitude was associated with AFD in a sample of 1127 17 year olds; and whether indicators of disinhibitory psychopathology assessed at age 11 predicted AFD by age 14 in a sample of 1343 adolescents. RESULTS: In adults, AFD was associated not only with alcohol dependence, but also with a broad array of indicators of disinhibitory behavior and psychopathology including nicotine dependence, illicit drug abuse and dependence, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, underachievement in school, and the personality trait of constraint. In 17 year olds, AFD was also associated with reduced P3 amplitude, a well-documented psychophysiological marker of alcoholism risk. Finally, in the early-adolescence sample, measures of behavioral disinhibition, including oppositionality, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and inattentiveness assessed at age 11 predicted drinking onset by age 14. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that AFD is not specifically associated with alcoholism but rather is correlated with a broad range of indicators of disinhibited behavior and psychopathology. Moreover, individuals who first drink at a relatively early age manifest elevated rates of disinhibitory behavior and psychopathology before they first try alcohol. Taken together, these findings suggest that the association of AFD with alcoholism reflects, at least in part, a common underlying vulnerability to disinhibitory behavior. Whether an early AFD directly influences risk of adult alcoholism remains unclear.     

Impulsivity is an independent predictor of 15-year mortality risk among individuals seeking help for alcohol-related problems

Background: Although past research has found impulsivity to be a significant predictor of mortality, no studies have tested this association in samples of individuals with alcohol‐related problems or examined moderation of this effect via socio‐contextual processes. The current study addressed these issues in a mixed‐gender sample of individuals seeking help for alcohol‐related problems. Methods: Using Cox proportional hazard models, variables measured at baseline and Year 1 of a 16‐year prospective study were used to predict the probability of death from Years 1 to 16 (i.e., 15‐year mortality risk). There were 628 participants at baseline (47.1% women); 515 and 405 participated in the follow‐up assessments at Years 1 and 16, respectively. Among Year 1 participants, 93 individuals were known to have died between Years 1 and 16. Results: After controlling for age, gender, and marital status, higher impulsivity at baseline was associated with an increased risk of mortality from Years 1 to 16; however, this association was accounted for by the severity of alcohol use at baseline. In contrast, higher impulsivity at Year 1 was associated with an increased risk of mortality from Years 1 to 16, and remained significant when accounting for the severity of alcohol use, as well as physical health problems, emotional discharge coping, and interpersonal stress and support at Year 1. In addition, the association between Year 1 impulsivity and 15‐year mortality risk was moderated by interpersonal support at Year 1, such that individuals high on impulsivity had a lower mortality risk when peer/friend support was high than when it was low. Conclusions: The findings highlight impulsivity as a robust and independent predictor of mortality and suggest the need to consider interactions between personality traits and socio‐contextual processes in the prediction of health‐related outcomes for individuals with alcohol use disorders.     

Normal performance on a simulated gambling task in treatment-naive alcohol-dependent individuals

Background: Research suggests that substance abusers make more disadvantageous decisions on the simulated gambling task (SGT); such decisions are associated with deviance proneness and antisocial symptoms. This study examines decision making on the SGT in young adults with alcohol dependence who are treatment‐naïve (TxN). Methods: A total of 116 subjects (58 controls, 58 TxNs) were tested on the SGT, where participants choose cards from 4 different decks that vary in terms of the magnitude of the immediate gain (large/small) and the magnitude of long‐term loss (larger/smaller). Participants were also assessed on measures of externalizing symptoms, personality traits reflecting social deviance, neuropsychological function, and the density of the family history of alcoholism. Results: Treatment‐naïves did not differ from controls on measures of SGT decision making. Simulated gambling task performance was not associated with externalizing symptoms, social deviance proneness, or a familial density of alcoholism. Although TxNs had higher levels of externalizing symptoms, social deviance, and familial density of alcoholism compared with controls, these variables were only modestly elevated compared with previous samples of long‐term abstinent alcohol‐dependent individuals who showed decision‐making deficits on the SGT. Conclusions: The results suggest that our sample of young adult TxN adults with alcohol dependence do not have global deficits in decision making as measured by the SGT, and that their poor decisions regarding their alcohol consumption are more specific to drinking.     

Heightened heart rate response to alcohol intoxication is associated with a reward-seeking personality profile

BACKGROUND: The psychomotor stimulant theory of addiction posits that sensitivity to the positively rewarding properties of alcohol puts certain individuals at higher risk for alcohol abuse. A valid and reliable index of overactivation in the reward system has been a heightened baseline heart rate (HR) increase on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve. The main goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between this HR response and a questionnaire measuring sensitivity to reward and sensitivity to punishment. Additional goals included looking at (1). the association between a high HR response and various personality traits (hopelessness/introversion, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking) and (2). the relationship between these personality traits and stimulant use. METHODS: A total of 18 low- and 19 high-HR responders completed the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), and a modified version of the Addiction Severity Index. RESULTS: High-HR responders obtained significantly higher scores than low-HR responders on the sensitivity to reward scale of the SPSRQ, as well as increased sensation-seeking scores on the SURPS. High-HR responders were not at significantly higher risk of having used stimulants, but stimulant use was associated with higher impulsivity scores on the SURPS. CONCLUSIONS: Novelty/sensation-seeking is among the personality traits that have been linked to heavy alcohol use. This study suggests that reward sensitivity might mediate the relationship between this personality profile and drinking behavior.     

Developmental Trajectories of Impulsivity and Their Association With Alcohol Use and Related Outcomes During Emerging and Young Adulthood I

Background: Research has documented normative patterns of personality change during emerging and young adulthood that reflect decreases in traits associated with substance use, such as impulsivity. However, evidence suggests variability in these developmental changes. Methods: This study examined trajectories of impulsivity and their association with substance use and related problems from ages 18 to 35. Analyses were based on data collected from a cohort of college students (N = 489), at high and low risk for AUDs, first assessed as freshmen at a large, public university. Results: Mixture modeling identified five trajectory groups that differed in baseline levels of impulsivity and developmental patterns of change. Notably, the trajectory group that exhibited the sharpest declines in impulsivity tended to display accelerated decreases in alcohol involvement from ages 18 to 25 compared to the other impulsivity groups. Conclusion: Findings highlight the developmental nature of impulsivity across emerging and young adulthood and provide an empirical framework to identify key covariates of individual changes of impulsivity.     

Inverse association between sense of humor and coronary heart disease

Prospective studies have suggested that antisocial Type A personality traits may be associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, few data have addressed whether more favorable personality characteristics may be inversely correlated with CHD. Therefore, two standardized questionnaires designed to either assess anger and hostility or to measure the propensity to laugh under a variety of situations encountered in everyday life, were administered to 300 consecutive subjects. Compared to controls, CHD subjects were significantly less likely to experience laughter during daily activities, surprise situations or social interactions (P<0.005). Logistic regression analysis revealed an inverse correlation between humor and CHD, even after adjustment for other covariates, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus (P=0.03). A significant inverse association was also observed between humor production and antisocial Type A personality traits (P=0.0001). These data extend previous observations linking antisocial Type A personality traits to CHD and raise the possibility that the propensity to laugh may contribute to cardioprotection.     

Novelty seeking as a moderator of familial risk for alcohol dependence

BACKGROUND: Disinhibitory personality traits such as high novelty seeking (NS) are moderately heritable, and individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently exhibit such traits. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the supposition that such traits are true familial risk factors for SUD and particularly for alcohol dependence. Another possibility is that familial risk interacts with personality-associated risk, in which case the association between personality and familial risk might depend on sample composition, accounting for the lack of consensus among studies to date. We examined this possibility by analyzing the association between NS and alcohol dependence in individuals at intermediate and high levels of familial risk for alcohol dependence. METHODS: Data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, a multisite family study, were examined. Subjects were 1,111 adult siblings of alcohol-dependent index cases. Parental diagnoses of alcohol dependence and personality scores of NS from the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire were used to predict alcohol dependence. RESULTS: A significant interaction between NS and familial risk for alcoholism was seen, such that NS was a significantly stronger predictor of alcohol dependence in subjects with one or more parents with alcohol dependence than in subjects without alcohol-dependent parents. CONCLUSIONS: Novelty seeking and familial risk interact so that the risk associated with high NS is magnified in families with parental alcohol dependence and NS is a moderator of familial risk. Accordingly, high NS is strongly associated with alcohol dependence in subjects with a parent diagnosed with alcohol dependence, but low NS may protect against the risk associated with familial alcoholism. This interaction may account for conflicting findings from studies that have examined this question previously.     

P300 and the Risk for Alcoholism: Family History, Task Difficulty, and Gender

P300 event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were obtained from 20 pairs of male and 20 pairs of female undergraduate subjects. One member of each pair reported having a father who was alcoholic (FHP), the other reported no known alcoholic biological relative (FHN). Pair members were matched on age, height, weight, grade point average, and personal drinking history. Three auditory tasks which differed in stimulus discrimination difficulty were presented to each subject. All tasks employed 20% target and 80% standard tones with the subject required to move their index finger whenever a target stimulus was detected. No significant differences in P300 amplitude or latency were obtained between the family history subject groups, although female FHP subjects tended to have smaller P300 amplitudes than their FHN counterparts. P300 amplitude decreased with increases in the amount of self-reported alcohol consumed for FHP subjects but significantly so only for the most difficult task situation. The results suggest that the relationship between the P300 ERP and the inheritability of alcoholism is not yet clear and may be subject to modulation by task requirements, population differences, and subject sex.     

Alcoholics Anonymous attendance, decreases in impulsivity and drinking and psychosocial outcomes over 16 years: moderated-mediation from a developmental perspective

Aims To examine whether decreases in impulsivity account for links between Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) attendance and better drinking and psychosocial outcomes, and whether these mediational ‘effects’ are conditional on age. Design A naturalistic study in which individuals were assessed at baseline, and 1, 8 and 16 years later. Setting Participants initiated help‐seeking through the alcohol intervention system (detoxification programs, information and referral centers). Participants Individuals with alcohol use disorders and no prior history of substance abuse treatment at baseline [n = 628; 47% women; mean age = 34.7 years (standard deviation = 9.4)]. Measurements Self‐reports of impulsivity and drinking pattern at baseline and year 1, duration of AA (number of weeks) in year 1 and drinking (alcohol use problems, self‐efficacy to resist drinking) and psychosocial outcomes (emotional discharge coping, social support) at baseline and follow‐ups. Findings Controlling for changes in drinking pattern, decreases in impulsivity were associated with fewer alcohol use problems, better coping and greater social support and self‐efficacy at year 1, and better coping and greater social support at year 8. Decreases in impulsivity statistically mediated associations between longer AA duration and improvements on all year 1 outcomes and indirect effects were moderated by participant age (significant only for individuals 25 years of age or younger). Conclusions Decreased impulsivity appears to mediate reductions in alcohol‐related problems over 8 years in people attending Alcoholics Anonymous.     

Perceptual hyperreactivity to auditory stimuli in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have abnormal perception of visceral stimuli; however, no study has so far investigated the perception of non-visceral stimuli in IBS. In the present study we used event-related potentials (ERP) to study whether IBS patients differed from healthy controls in processing of auditory stimuli and, if so, how this was influenced by emotions. METHODS: We compared ERPs to auditory stimuli in 40 female diarrhoea-predominant IBS patients without current psychiatric illness with those in 20 healthy controls. Tones were used as standard and target stimuli, and words with emotional content as distractors. Characteristics of the first negative wave (N100) and mean amplitudes in 50-msec time intervals between 150 and 600 msec were assessed. RESULTS: At the frontal midline electrode IBS patients had significantly enhanced N100 amplitude to all stimuli, persisting after adjustment for age, current emotions, and personality traits. They additionally had enhanced waves 200-300 msec and 400-500 msec after stimulus. The latter differences disappeared after adjustment for emotions and personality traits. CONCLUSIONS: In the frontal brain region, IBS patients seem to have a hyperreactivity to auditory stimuli compared with controls. Later elements (P300, N400) of stimulus processing were influenced by emotions and personality traits. These may possibly contribute to changes in intestinal motility caused by stress. The study indicates that aberrant brain functioning may be an element of the irritable bowel syndrome. It may elucidate a mechanism for brain-gut interaction by which psychosocial stress may influence visceral pain perception in non-psychiatric subjects with an intestinal motility disorder and also the efficacy of psychiatric treatment on IBS symptoms.     

Personality moderates the longitudinal relationship between psychological symptoms and alcohol use in adolescents

Background: A great deal of research has emerged on the comorbidity between alcohol misuse and psychological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior or conduct disorder) in adolescence. Research has also shown that personality traits underlie vulnerability to alcohol use and psychological symptoms, but how personality moderates this association has not been comprehensively examined. The goals of this study are to clarify (i) whether early alcohol use effects the rate of change of psychological symptoms and vice versa, (ii) whether initial levels and rate of change in both domains vary according to individual differences in personality traits, and (iii) whether personality moderates the relationship between alcohol use and psychological symptoms. Methods: Self‐reported alcohol use, depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior were collected from 393 adolescents at four separate time points across an 18‐month period. Parallel growth models were used to assess the main objectives of the study. Personality traits [anxiety sensitivity (AS), hopelessness (H), impulsivity (IMP), and sensation seeking (SS)] were included as time‐invariant predictors of initial levels and rates of change of each construct. Results: The results indicated that elevated levels of depression predicted faster rates of increase in alcohol use. Personality‐specific relationships were demonstrated across all models. IMP was shown to moderate the relationship between alcohol use and depression, suggesting that adolescents who showed a susceptibility to elevated levels of IMP, and heavier drinking were less likely to demonstrate a normative decline in depression. Adolescents with higher levels of AS and anxiety were more likely to show a faster rate of increase in alcohol use. Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of examining personality traits in studying the associations between alcohol use and psychological symptoms.     

Perceptual Hyperreactivity to Auditory Stimuli in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Background: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have abnormal perception of visceral stimuli; however, no study has so far investigated the perception of non-visceral stimuli in IBS. In the present study we used event-related potentials (ERP) to study whether IBS patients differed from healthy controls in processing of auditory stimuli and, if so, how this was influenced by emotions. Methods: We compared ERPs to auditory stimuli in 40 female diarrhoea-predominant IBS patients without current psychiatric illness with those in 20 healthy controls. Tones were used as standard and target stimuli, and words with emotional content as distractors. Characteristics of the first negative wave (N100) and mean amplitudes in 50-msec time intervals between 150 and 600 msec were assessed. Results: At the frontal midline electrode IBS patients had significantly enhanced N100 amplitude to all stimuli, persisting after adjustment for age, current emotions, and personality traits. They additionally had enhanced waves 200-300 msec and 400-500 msec after stimulus. The latter differences disappeared after adjustment for emotions and personality traits. Conclusions: In the frontal brain region, IBS patients seem to have a hyperreactivity to auditory stimuli compared with controls. Later elements (P300, N400) of stimulus processing were influenced by emotions and personality traits. These may possibly contribute to changes in intestinal motility caused by stress. The study indicates that aberrant brain functioning may be an element of the irritable bowel syndrome. It may elucidate a mechanism for brain-gut interaction by which psychosocial stress may influence visceral pain perception in non-psychiatric subjects with an intestinal motility disorder and also the efficacy of psychiatric treatment on IBS symptoms.     

Cladistic association analysis of Y chromosome effects on alcohol dependence and related personality traits

Association between Y chromosome haplotype variation and alcohol dependence and related personality traits was investigated in a large sample of psychiatrically diagnosed Finnish males. Haplotypes were constructed for 359 individuals using alleles at eight loci (seven microsatellite loci and a nucleotide substitution in the DYZ3 alphoid satellite locus). A cladogram linking the 102 observed haplotype configurations was constructed by using parsimony with a single-step mutation model. Then, a series of contingency tables nested according to the cladogram hierarchy were used to test for association between Y haplotype and alcohol dependence. Finally, using only alcohol-dependent subjects, we tested for association between Y haplotype and personality variables postulated to define subtypes of alcoholism-antisocial personality disorder, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence. Significant association with alcohol dependence was observed at three Y haplotype clades, with significance levels of P = 0.002, P = 0.020, and P = 0.010. Within alcohol-dependent subjects, no relationship was revealed between Y haplotype and antisocial personality disorder, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, or reward dependence. These results demonstrate, by using a fully objective association design, that differences among Y chromosomes contribute to variation in vulnerability to alcohol dependence. However, they do not demonstrate an association between Y haplotype and the personality variables thought to underlie the subtypes of alcoholism.     

Mismatch negativity: no difference between treatment-naive alcoholics and controls

BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined the mismatch negativity (MMN) evoked potential as a measure of a brain inhibitory deficit in alcoholics or those at risk for alcoholism. This study examined MMN in actively drinking treatment-naive alcohol-dependent individuals. This study examined the association of MMN with risk factors for alcoholism, postalcohol withdrawal hyperexcitability, and alcohol use variables. METHODS: Electroencephalograms were gathered on 84 subjects (42 controls and 42 treatment-naive alcohol-dependent individuals) during a nonattending MMN experiment. Alcoholism family history density, the number of externalizing disorder symptoms, and psychological indices of deviance proneness served as measures of risk factors associated with the vulnerability to alcoholism. Alcohol use variables were used as measures of alcoholism severity. RESULTS: There were no differences in the MMN integral, amplitude, or latency between control and treatment-naive alcohol-dependent subjects. There also were no significant associations of MMN measures with any of the measures of alcoholism vulnerability, with any of the alcohol use variables, or with the prevalence or severity of symptoms of postalcohol withdrawal hyperexcitability. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is a strong association between alcohol abuse and symptoms of disinhibition and deviance proneness, the MMN response does not offer any direct physiological evidence of this phenomenon.