Chronological relationship between antisocial personality disorder and alcohol dependence

Personality disorders, and particularly antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), frequently co-occur with alcohol dependence. ASPD is considered to be an important cofactor in the pathogenesis and clinical course of alcohol dependence. The chronological relationship between the onset of symptoms of ASPD and alcohol-dependence characteristics has not yet been studied in great detail and the role of ASID in classification schemes of alcohol dependence as suggested by Cloninger and Schuckit has yet to be determined. We studied 55 alcohol-dependent patients to assess the prevalence and age at manifestation of ASPD, conduct disorder characteristics as well as alcohol dependence by employing the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IIIR. Results indicate that the onset of ASPD characteristics precede that of alcohol dependence by some 4 years. This finding suggests that in patients with ASPD, alcohol dependence might be a secondary syndrome as suggested by previous research. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Impulsive traits and 5-HT2A receptor promoter polymorphism in alcohol dependents: Possible association but no influence of personality disorders

Objective: Impulsive behavior in alcoholics puts them at serious risk of severer course of disease and has been related to the serotonergic neurotransmission dysfunction. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between impulsive aggression in alcohol dependents with regard to the G-1438A polymorphism in the promoter region of the 5-HT2A receptor gene. Furthermore, we investigated the statistical interaction between 5-HT2A alleles, antisocial personality disorder (APD) and impulsive aggression in alcohol dependents. Alcohol dependents were investigated because these personality disorders and impulsive behavior are very frequent in alcohol dependence anf of clinical relevance. Methods: One hundred and thirty-five patients of German descent meeting DSM-IV criteria of alcohol dependence were recruited. Blood samples were taken from alcohol dependents to determine 5-HT2A promoter polymorphisms using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) of lymphocyte DNA. Impulsive aggression was assessed using a German version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale which was translated and backtranslated. Alcohol dependents were subdivided into low- or high-impulsivity groups using a median split of the Barratt score. APD and borderline personality disorder (BPD) were assessed using the SCID-II interview. Results: The low-impulsivity group was slightly older and showed a later age at alcoholism onset than the highly impulsive group. Alcohol dependents with high impulsive traits showed a significant association with 5-HT2A 1438 A alleles. After excluding alcohol dependents with APD or BPD from the analysis, this association remained significant. Furthermore, no association between APD, BPD and 5-HT2A alleles was noted. Conclusions: Inpatient alcohol dependents showed a significant association between 5-HT2A A alleles and impulsive traits, independent of the presence of APD or BPD. No association was noted between personality disorders and the polymorphism. This is the first report about an association of 5-HT2A promoter polymorphism and impulsive behavior in alcohol dependents. This finding may refer only to impulsive traits and may be independent of personality disorders in this sample. These results have to be confirmed in larger samples and in healthy control subjects to determine whether this association is of general validity. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in alcoholics with and without a family history of alcoholism

A number of studies point at platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity being reduced in alcoholics with a family history of drinking, this being a possible vulnerability marker for alcoholism. To test this hypothesis, we examined a group of recently detoxified alcoholics with high (n = 25) and low genetic loading for alcoholism (n = 28) and a group of healthy controls (n = 21). Clinical assessments were made using the SCID II interview for psychiatric disorders, the Family History Assessment Module and the Semi-Structural Assessment of Genetics in Alcoholism, a questionnaire especially designed for genetic studies. Platelet MAO activity with and without ethanol stimulation and the percentage of MAO activity with ethanol did not differ between groups. The only significant difference was a lower inhibition of MAO activity with ethanol in alcoholics both with and without a family history compared to controls. In patients with antisocial personality traits, platelet MAO activity was also not found to be different from other alcoholics. Our findings question the hypothesis of reduced platelet MAO activity to be a possible vulnerability marker for alcoholism. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel

Net Impact Evaluation of Moving Men and Women to Economic Independence in Michigan, Within Reach Program: Year 1 and Year 2 Cohorts

The authors completed a net impact evaluation of the “Within Reach” component of the Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit program (Moving Men and Women to Economic Independence). This program provided employment-related support services to disadvantaged adults as coordinated by WorkFirst. The net impact evaluation estimated the contribution of the program to the employment outcomes of the participants. It constructed comparison groups of individuals who were similar to the program participants, but who did not participate in the program. The net impact analysis focused on three employment-related outcomes: finding a job, retaining a job (workforce attachment), and earnings

Optimization of the leak conductance in the squid giant axon

We report on a theoretical study showing that the leak conductance density, \GL, in the squid giant axon appears to be optimal for the action potential firing frequency. More precisely, the standard assumption that the leak current is composed of chloride ions leads to the result that the experimental value for \GL is very close to the optimal value in the Hodgkin-Huxley model which minimizes the absolute refractory period of the action potential, thereby maximizing the maximum firing frequency under stimulation by sharp, brief input current spikes to one end of the axon. The measured value of \GL also appears to be close to optimal for the frequency of repetitive firing caused by a constant current input to one end of the axon, especially when temperature variations are taken into account. If, by contrast, the leak current is assumed to be composed of separate voltage-independent sodium and potassium currents, then these optimizations are not observed.Comment: 9 pages; 9 figures; accepted for publication in Physical Review

Digital Interventions for Problematic Cannabis Users in Non-Clinical Settings: Findings from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Existing cannabis treatment programs reach only a very limited proportion of people with cannabis-related problems. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of digital interventions applied outside the health care system in reducing problematic cannabis use. Methods: We systematically searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2015), PubMed (2009-2015), Medline (2009-2015), Google Scholar (2015) and article reference lists for potentially eligible studies. Randomized controlled trials examining the effects of internet-or computer-based interventions were assessed. Study effects were estimated by calculating effect sizes (ESs) using Cohen's d and Hedges' g bias-corrected ES. The primary outcome assessed was self-reported cannabis use, measured by a questionnaire. Results: Fifty-two studies were identified. Four studies (including 1,928 participants) met inclusion criteria. They combined brief motivational interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy delivered on-line. All studies were of good quality. The pooled mean difference (Delta = 4.07) and overall ES (0.11) give evidence of small effects at 3-month follow-up in favor of digital interventions. Conclusions: Digital interventions can help to successfully reduce problematic cannabis use outside clinical settings. They have some potential to overcome treatment barriers and increase accessibility for at-risk cannabis users. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Base