Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jan 2017
The Influence of Mixers Containing Artificial Sweetener or Different Doses of Carbohydrate on Breath Alcohol Responses in Females.
Breath alcohol responses may be affected by the presence of carbohydrate (CHO) in a beverage. This study investigated the impact of consuming alcohol with mixers containing various doses of CHO or an artificial sweetener on breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), ratings of intoxication and impairment, and cognitive performance in females. ⋯ Consuming alcohol with CHO-containing mixers attenuates peak BrAC and reduces total alcohol exposure in a dose-response manner compared to drinks containing artificial sweetener or no additives. The effect of adding CHO to alcoholic beverages may translate to reduced risk of alcohol-related harms.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Aug 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialTrauma- and Stress-Induced Response in Veterans with Alcohol Dependence and Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Alcohol dependence (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly co-occur, and the co-occurrence is associated with worse prognosis than either disorder absent the other. Craving is an important construct related to relapse, but the relationship between PTSD symptoms, craving, and relapse is not well understood. Several studies have documented the relationship between stress and craving in individuals without comorbid PTSD, but the effect on those with comorbid PTSD is not well known. A small literature suggests that trauma imagery affects craving. This is the first study to explore the effects of trauma-induced and stress-induced scripts on alcohol craving, affect, cardiovascular, and cortisol responses in the laboratory. ⋯ The results highlight that trauma cues are more salient in inducing alcohol craving than stress cues and higher reactivity is related to more baseline drinking. This finding is consistent with clinical observations that show an association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol relapse. It also underscores the importance of adequate treatment of PTSD as reactivity related to trauma cues and reminders may be an important factor in craving and relapse.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jul 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of Intravenous Ethanol on Capsaicin-Induced Hyperalgesia in Human Subjects.
The objective of this study was to assess ethanol's (EtOH's) effects on capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia in healthy participants. Specifically, we investigated the change in area of capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia following 3 interventions: intravenous EtOH at 2 targeted breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC), or placebo. ⋯ In a human model examining pain phenomena related to central sensitization, this study is the first to demonstrate that capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia is markedly attenuated by EtOH. The capsaicin experimental pain paradigm employed provides a novel approach to evaluate EtOH's effects on pain processing. The antihyperalgesic effects of EtOH observed have important clinical implications for the converging fields of substance abuse and pain medicine and may inform why patients with chronic pain often report alcohol use as a form of self-medication.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Feb 2016
Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Clinically Recognized Alcohol Use Disorders Among Patients from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration.
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common and have worse consequences for racial/ethnic minority groups than whites. AUDs are often underrecognized in clinical settings, but it is unknown whether the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD varies across racial/ethnic groups. We describe the overall and age- and gender-stratified prevalence of clinically documented AUD across 3 racial/ethnic groups in a national sample of Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients. ⋯ In contrast to findings from the general population, the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD among VA patients is generally highest among black men and women and lowest among white men and Hispanic women. This is the first study to describe the prevalence of clinically recognized AUD across racial/ethnic groups in a large healthcare system. Future research comparing estimates to diagnoses based on structured gold-standard assessments is needed to understand whether AUDs are under- or overidentified.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jan 2016
Accelerated HF-rTMS Protocol has a Rate-Dependent Effect on dACC Activation in Alcohol-Dependent Patients: An Open-Label Feasibility Study.
The application of accelerated high-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could be a potential treatment option for alcohol-dependent patients and may result in a faster clinical response. In this open-label HF-rTMS feasibility study, we wanted to replicate previous findings of baseline brain activation as a predictor of relapse, and to evaluate how this intervention influences the relapse neurocircuit of "treatment-seeking" alcohol-dependent patients, by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) cue-exposure paradigms. Because relapsing patients have a diminished resilience of the emotion regulation/cognitive control system, before HF-rTMS treatment, we expected lower neuronal activation of especially the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during the presentation of alcohol-related cues in these patients. The relapse neurocircuit should be modified after accelerated HF-rTMS treatment, only in those patients who did not relapse. ⋯ Our data indicate that higher baseline dACC activation may serve as a protective mechanism regarding relapse. For the first time, it is demonstrated that accelerated HF-rTMS treatment influences dACC activation in a rate-dependent manner: the lower the baseline dACC activation, the more dACC activity was increased after HF-rTMS treatment.