A new statistical model for binge drinking pattern classification in college-student populations

BackgroundBinge drinking (BD) among students is a frequent alcohol consumption pattern that produces adverse consequences. A widely discussed difficulty in the scientific community is defining and characterizing BD patterns. This study aimed to find homogenous drinking groups and then provide a new tool, based on a model that includes several key factors of BD, to assess the severity of BD regardless of the individual’s gender.MethodsUsing the learning sample (N1 = 1,271), a K-means clustering algorithm and a partial proportional odds model (PPOM) were used to isolate drinking and behavioral key factors, create homogenous groups of drinkers, and estimate the probability of belonging to these groups. Robustness of our findings were evaluated with Two validations samples (N2 = 2,310, N3 = 120) of French university students (aged 18–25 years) were anonymously investigated via demographic and alcohol consumption questionnaires (AUDIT, AUQ, Alcohol Purchase Task for behavioral economic indices).ResultsThe K-means revealed four homogeneous groups, based on drinking profiles: low-risk, hazardous, binge, and high-intensity BD. The PPOM generated the probability of each participant, self-identified as either male or female, to belong to one of these groups. Our results were confirmed in two validation samples, and we observed differences between the 4 drinking groups in terms of consumption consequences and behavioral economic demand indices.ConclusionOur model reveals a progressive severity in the drinking pattern and its consequences and may better characterize binge drinking among university student samples. This model provides a new tool for assessing the severity of binge drinking and illustrates that frequency of drinking behavior and particularly drunkenness are central features of a binge drinking model

Sex-specific decision-making impairments and striatal dopaminergic changes after binge drinking history in rats

Binge drinking (BD) is a harmful behavior for health and is a predictive factor for the development of alcohol addiction. Weak decision-making (DM) capacities could play a role in the vulnerability to BD which in turn would lead to DM impairments, thus perpetuating BD. Longitudinal preclinical studies are however lacking and necessary to understand this complex relationship. Both DM and BD are influenced by sex and involve dopamine release in the core of the nucleus accumbens, a central mechanism regulated by dopamine D2/3 autoreceptors. In this context, we used an operant self-administration procedure of BD in male and female rats, and longitudinally assessed DM capacity, memory and anxiety-like behavior. To better understand the mechanisms potentially involved in the relationship between DM and BD, ex vivo dopamine transmission was assessed short term after the end of the binge exposure in the core of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) using the fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) technique and the D2/3 agonist quinpirole. We found important basal sex differences in DM, with female rats showing better performances at baseline. Choice processes were impaired exclusively in males after BD history, associated with a decrease in impulse control in both sexes, while memory and anxiety-like behavior were not affected. Our neurobiological results demonstrate that BD did not affect basal dopamine signaling in the NAc core, regardless of the sex, but reveal changes in the sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of quinpirole in females. DM impairments were neither associated with changes in basal dopamine signaling nor pre-synaptic D2 activity. Overall, our findings show that BD affects both DM processes and dopamine transmission in the core of the NAc in a sex-related manner, further suggesting that these effects may play a role in the vicious cycle leading to BD perpetuation and the early onset of AUD. Our results may inform novel strategies for therapeutic and prevention interventions

Positive and Negative Urgency as a single coherent construct: Evidence from a large‐scale network analysis in clinical and non‐clinical samples

Aims: Negative and positive urgency are emotion-related impulsivity traits that are thought to be transdiagnostic factors in psychopathology. However, it has recently been claimed that these two traits are closely related to each other and that considering them separately might have limited conceptual and methodological value. The present study aimed to examine whether positive and negative urgency constructs constitute separate impulsivity traits. Methods: In contrast to previous studies that have used latent variable approaches, this study employed an item-based network analysis conducted in two different samples: a large sample of non-clinical participants (N = 18,568) and a sample of clinical participants with psychiatric disorders (N = 385). Results: The network analysis demonstrated that items denoting both positive and negative urgency cohere as a single cluster of items termed “general urgency” in both clinical and non-clinical samples, thereby suggesting that differentiating positive and negative urgency as separate constructs is not necessary. Conclusion: These findings have important implications for the conceptualization and assessment of urgency and, more broadly, for future research on impulsivity, personality, and psychopathology

Verbal memory in binge drinking

Investigation of component processes of verbal memory in binge drinking

La consommation d'alcool, de cannabis et de dopants cognitifs chez les étudiants

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Analyse des processus cognitifs impliqués dans les tâches de fluences verbales (application au vieillissement normal)

L objectif de ce travail était de développer une méthode d analyse qualitative des fluences verbales et de l appliquer à la problématique du vieillissement. Une première étude réalisée auprès de sujets jeunes souligne l existence de trois processus : les regroupements, impliquant les connaissances verbales; les hard switches , impliquant des processus exécutifs ; et les cluster switches de nature intermédiaire. La seconde étude a montré chez les sujets âgés un déficit de hard switching et une augmentation des regroupements pouvant s apparenter à une tentative de compensation. Une troisième étude s est intéressée aux liens entre le déclin dopaminergique et la diminution des hard switches . Les résultats ont mis en évidence pour les sujets âgés de haut niveau une augmentation des hard switches sous agoniste dopaminergique. Enfin, une quatrième étude réalisée en IRM fonctionnelle suggère l existence de différences dans le profil d activation des sujets jeunes et âgés.The aim of the present work was to develop a method of qualitative analyses of verbal fluency and to apply it to the study of aging. In the first experiment, data from 48 young adults suggest the existence of three components : clustering, relying upon verbal knowledge; hard switching, involving search processes through verbal knowledge; and cluster switching; being an intermediate process. In the second experiment results revealed that older adults were impaired in hard switching and produced larger clusters than young and middle aged subjects. This improvement could be considered as a strategy to compensate for hard switching difficulties. A third experiment was designed to study the relationship between age-related dopamine decrease and switching deficits. Results revealed that high-level older adults increased performance in hard switching under dopamine. Finally. preliminary results from an fMRI experiment suggest different patterns of activation between young and older adults.BOULOGNE-BU Psych. Henri Pieron (920125201) / SudocSudocFranceF

He catapulted his words from the dais: An ERP investigation of novel verbal metaphors

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Théorie de l'esprit et traitement visuo-spatial : comparaison des enfants Asperger et dyspraxiques.

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