Patterns of Alcohol Consumption in Spanish University Alumni: Nine Years of Follow-Up

The aim of this study was to empirically identify different profiles of Spanish university alumni, based on their alcohol use over 9 years, and to further characterize them. A cohort study was carried out between 2005 and 2015 among university students (Compostela Cohort-Spain; n2015 = 415). Alcohol consumption was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). A two-stage cluster analysis, based on their AUDIT total scores was carried out separately for males and females. The further characterization of every profile was based on demographic data, age at onset of alcohol use, positive alcohol-related expectancies, tobacco and cannabis use, as well as their answers to some European Addiction Severity Index items. Five different clusters were identified: Low users (29.2%), Moderated users (37.2%), At-risk users (14.2%), Decreasing users (13.2%) and Large users (6.2%) for females, and Low users (34.4%), At-risk users (25.6%), High-risk users (15.6%), Decreasing users (14.4%) and Large users (10.0%) for males. Being a cannabis user or a smoker was positively associated to those more hazardous clusters in both genders. Regarding females, significant differences in the age of onset and high positive expectancies were found. However, there were few significant differences among the groups in relation to their employment status and social relations. The results reveal the existence of different typologies of alcohol users among university alumni, with differences among males and females. Modifying positive expectancies, limiting access to alcohol at a young age, and reducing uses of other substances uses are key to promote healthier alcohol use profiles and to prevent hazardous usesThis work was supported by a grant from the Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (Spain) (2005/PN014) and from Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (Spain) (PI15/00165). Eduardo López-Caneda was supported by the SFRH/BPD/109750/2015 Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology as well as by the Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653)S

El proceso de Ruiz de Padrón: 1814-1818

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Anomalías en el funcionamiento cerebral ligadas al mantenimiento de un patrón de consumo intensivo de alcohol (binge drinking) en jóvenes: un estudio mediante potenciales evocados

El binge drinking (BD), un patrón de consumo de alcohol caracterizado por la ingesta de grandes cantidades de alcohol en un corto espacio de tiempo y que se alterna con períodos de abstinencia entre los episodios de consumo, presenta una alta prevalencia entre los jóvenes y adolescentes. Recientes estudios en animales y humanos han puesto de manifiesto las importantes consecuencias que el BD puede tener sobre la estructura y el funcionamiento cerebral, especialmente durante periodos neuromadurativos como son la adolescencia y la juventud. Sin embargo, no existían, hasta la fecha, estudios de tipo longitudinal que explorasen sus consecuencias a medio/largo plazo. En la presente tesis se estudió, mediante potenciales evocados, la actividad eléctrica cerebral asociada a los procesos de atención, memoria de trabajo y control inhibitorio en jóvenes de 20-21 años con al menos dos años de mantenimiento del patrón BD. Los resultados mostraron que la persistencia en este patrón de consumo se asociaba a un incremento en las anomalías en el funcionamiento cerebral vinculadas a los procesos de atención y memoria de trabajo observadas en una primera evaluación dos años antes, así como a la aparición de alteraciones en la actividad neural relacionada con los procesos de control inhibitorio no detectadas en la primera fase del estudio. Asimismo, el abandono del patrón BD implicaba un freno en las anomalías neurofuncionales relacionadas con la inhibición de respuesta. Estas anomalías en el funcionamiento cerebral podrían indicar un incremento en los recursos neurales implicados en los procesos de atención, memoria de trabajo y control inhibitorio por parte de los jóvenes BDs que les permitiría mantener un rendimiento conductual equivalente al de aquéllos sin consumo intensivo de alcohol. Este incremento podría responder a una menor eficiencia neural consecuencia de un enlentecimiento en el neurodesarrollo o a una actividad neural compensatoria

Binge drinking: a neurocognitive profile

Binge Drinking (BD) is a highlighted topic on current research, possibly due to its intrinsic integration of biological and social health concerning vulnerabilities. Especially prevalent during adolescence, a neurodevelopmental period marked by accentuated social relevance on decisions, BD has an underestimated financial, social and health cost. Described as the consumption of high quantity of alcohol in a short period of time, BD has shown to be related to differential brain activity and neuropsychological performance. Thus, there is growing scientific evidence reporting a wide range of neurocognitive impairments in adolescents and young people with a BD pattern, involving especially cognitive processes such as attention, executive functions, and learning and memory. However, the potential mid and long-term effects of BD remain unclear, so further studies should be conducted to elucidate the evolution of this neurocognitive profile, as well as to provide a more precise estimation of its reflection on the social functionality of binge drinkers. Therefore, the aim of the proposed chapter is to provide an updated scientific comprehension of BD neurocognitive profile, complemented by a discussion of some aspects related to it. Firstly, a definition and description of the binge drinking phenomena will be conducted. Secondly, it will be presented a review about neurodevelopment on adolescence and youth, period in which BD episodes are more common, followed by the principal outcomes about BD observed in animal studies. Then, a comprehension of neurostructural impact of BD, as well as a description of neurocognitive profile associated to BD will be offered, mentioning neurofunctional and neuropsychological consequences of this alcohol consumption pattern. Finally, future perspectives will be proposed, considering the evolution of BD neurocognitive profile and its related aspects.- (undefined

Drogas de abuso e adicción a psicofármacos

Titulación: Grao en Psicoloxía -- Materia: Farmacoloxía do ComportamentoA materia de Farmacoloxía do Comportamento é unha materia optativa de segundo ciclo da especialidade de Psicoloxía Clínica e Psicobioloxía da Licenciatura en Psicoloxía, pero pode moi ben ser seguida por calquera alumna/o de calquera especialidade que o desexe. A súa condición de optativa circunscribiranos a traballar entre persoas interesadas a priori en coñecer os seus contidos e dotarse das competencias básicas para o manexo de psicofármacos que requiren as tarefas propias da Psicoloxía. Aínda que non se establecen prerrequisitos normativos para cursala (excepto os xerais do plano de estudos) parece conveniente ter superadas as materias da área de psicobioloxía dos tres primeiros cursos. Se non fose así, ó menos sería necesario telas estudado para comprender o alcance dos conceptos básicos de neurociencias que empregaremos. O programa doutras materias necesariamente complementarias da nosa, como a psicopatoloxía, algunhas materias de psicoterapia ou técnicas terapéuticas, irá avanzando ao par que nos vaiamos vendo temas en psicofarmacoloxía. Tentaremos coordinar os nosos pasos e, en todo caso, os aspectos de terapia farmacolóxica nas principais entidades psicopatolóxicas aparecerán cara ao final do noso programa. A materia de farmacoloxía do comportamento é cuadrimestral. Ao longo do segundo cuadrimestre do curso teremos docencia presencial teórica e práctica en grupos reducidos, disporemos dun curso virtual, no contorno web-ct, que está pensado para ser utilizado como complemento da docencia presencial. A última das leccións incluídas dentro desta materia e que será obxecto desta unidade didáctica é Drogas de abuso e adicción a psicofármacos, tema fundamental no coñecemento dos mecanismos neurobiolóxicos que dan lugar ós comportamentos aditivos así como na comprensión das causas e consecuencias das drogodependencias. A duración estimada desta unidade didáctica é de seis horas teóricas (catro de clases maxistrais e dúas de debate cun experto en drogodependencias) e dúas horas de prácticas a desenvolver no laboratorio nunha única sesión.Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Servizo de Normalización Lingüístic

Effects of the COVID-19 mitigation measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking in college students: a longitudinal survey

The data presented in this study are openly available in FigShare at: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14755278 (accessed on 22 August 2021).To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 contagion, several countries ordered lockdowns amid the pandemic along with indications on social distancing. These social isolation measures could potentially bring alterations to healthy behavior, including to alcohol consumption. However, there is hardly any scientific evidence of the impact of such measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) among young adults, and how they relate to alcohol craving, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. We addressed these questions by conducting a longitudinal study with 146 Portuguese college students—regular binge drinkers (regular BDs), infrequent binge drinkers (infrequent BDs) and non-binge drinkers (non-BDs)—in three moments: before the pandemic (Pre-Lockdown), during lockdown (Lockdown) and 6 months after (Post-Lockdown). Results revealed that regular BDs decreased alcohol use during Lockdown, a change in behavior that was even greater during Post-Lockdown, when regular BDs displayed similar levels of consumption to infrequent/non-BDs. Additionally, alcohol craving and living with friends were predictive of alcohol use during Lockdown, whereas stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms did not contribute to explain changes in drinking behavior. Collectively, the results suggest that BD in young Portuguese college students can be stopped when the contexts in which alcohol intake usually takes place are suppressed, which may have important implications for future prevention and intervention strategies.This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, and funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget [Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020]. This study was also supported by the project PTDC/PSI-ESP/28672/2017, funded by FCT and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Eduardo López-Caneda and Alberto Crego were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, within the scope of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/02979/2018), and the Transitory Disposition of the Decree No. 57/2016, of 29 August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July, respectively. Natália Antunes was supported by a fellowship from the FCT (SFRH/BD/146194/2019) and Rui Rodrigues by a fellowship from the Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho (UMINHO/BID/2021/19)

Portuguese validation of the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised

Alcohol craving has been described as a strong subjective desire to drink, being considered highly valuable in the clinical practice, as it is recognized as a strong predictor of alcohol relapse in alcohol-dependent individuals. However, to date, there is not a multifactorial questionnaire available for assessing short-term acute craving experience in Portugal. The aim of the present study was to validate a swift and efficient tool for the assessment of acute alcohol craving in a sample of Portuguese citizens. For that purpose, the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire-Short Form-Revised (ACQ-SF-R) was translated into European Portuguese and administered to a sample of 591 college participants with ages between 18 and 30 years. Results suggested that a three-factor model (i.e., Emotionality, Purposefulness, and Compulsivity) proved to be most suitable for the Portuguese sample. Overall, the ACQ-SF-R exhibited good psychometric properties, having a good internal consistency both for the general craving index (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) and each subscale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.66-0.83), as well as an appropriate convergent validity with the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (r = 0.65, p<0.001), suggesting a good construct validity. In addition, the ACQ-SF-R also showed a good concurrent validity with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (r = 0.57, p<0.001), indicating that risky alcohol use patterns are associated with increased craving scores in the ACQ-SF-R. Collectively, these findings suggest that the Portuguese version of the ACQ-SF-R can accurately measure alcohol craving at a multifactorial level, being a valid and reliable tool to use in Portuguese samples in research settings.This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (CIPsi/UM) School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (UIDB/01662/2020). The study was also supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028672, funded by FCT and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Eduardo Lopez-Caneda and Alberto Crego were supported by the FCT and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, within the scope of the Individual Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/02979/2018), and within the scope of the Transitory Disposition of the Decrete No. 57/2016, of 29th of August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July, respectively. Natalia Almeida-Antunes was supported by a fellowship from the FCT (SFRH/BD/146194/2019). https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/pt/funding/erdf/https://www.fct.pt/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Editorial: Binge Drinking in the Adolescent and Young Brain

This study was supported by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028672, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). EL-C was supported by a Postdoctoral Fellowship of the FCT (SFRH/BPD/109750/2015), as well as by the Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653)S

Response to “Is there room for attentional impairments in binge drinking? A commentary on Carbia et al. (2018).”

Carina Carbia has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 754535. Eduardo López-Caneda was supported by the SFRH/BPD/109750/2015 Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology as well as by the Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653)S

Analysing VR and 360-degree video apps and sections. A case study of seven European news media outlets

Introducción. La evolución de internet y las nuevas tecnologías han cambiado el ecosistema comunicativo abriendo así la puerta a nuevas tendencias narrativas. En este escenario, numerosos medios de comunicación han comenzado a emplear tecnologías como la realidad virtual y recursos como los vídeos 360º en sus procesos productivos, una forma de producción de contenidos denominada Periodismo Inmersivo. Metodología. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo organizan y distribuyen su oferta inmersiva (vídeos 360º) siete medios de comunicación de impacto en Europa con el fin de observar si las estrategias aplicadas mejoran y facilitan el proceso de localización, búsqueda y acceso a dicho apartado. Resultados y conclusiones. El estudio concluye que existen una serie de debilidades en las secciones y Apps de los siete casos analizados que complican y dificultan el acceso y, en consecuencia, consumo de los contenidos en vídeo 360º disponiblesIntroduction. The evolution of the internet and new technologies have transformed the media ecosystem, opening the door to new narrative trends. In this scenario, many news media outlets have begun to use technologies such as virtual reality and resources like 360-degree video in their production processes, which constitutes a novel form of journalism production known as Immersive Journalism. Methods. The aim of this article is to analyse how European news media outlets organise and disseminate their immersive offer (360-degree videos) based on the study of seven case studies in order to determine whether their strategies in fact help users to locate, search and access such contents. Results and conclusions. The study concludes that the diverse sections and apps of the seven cases analysed exhibit several weaknesses that complicate the access and, consequently, the consumption of the 360-degree videos availableEste trabajo forma parte de una investigación seleccionada en la I Convocatoria de Ayudas a la Investigación Impulsa Visión de Radiotelevisión Española. Además, este texto está elaborado en el marco del proyecto Cibermedios nativos digitales en España: formatos narrativos y estrategia móvil (RTI2018-093346-B-C33) - Digital native media in Spain: storytelling formats and mobile strategy (RTI2018-093346-B-C33)-, del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades”. Este proyecto está cofinanciado por el fondo estructural FEDER. Por otra parte, la autora Sara Pérez-Seijo es beneficiaria del Programa de Formación del Profesorado Universitario del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Gobierno de España)S