Trait impulsivity moderates rate of alcohol consumption in daily life

INTRODUCTION

Rate of alcohol consumption, the speed with which people drink, has been linked to a range of outcomes, including alcohol use disorder symptoms and increased positive affect. However, minimal work has identified who is most likely to drink at elevated rates. Impulsivity is associated with increased attention to positive reinforcers specifically (e.g., positive affect). We therefore examined whether people higher in trait impulsivity engage in faster consumption during drinking episodes.

METHODS

Participants were current drinkers (N = 113; 54 people with borderline personality disorder [BPD], a disorder that involves elevated impulsivity, and 59 community people) who completed a 21-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. Multilevel models of drinking episodes (Nobservations = 3,444) examined whether self-reported trait impulsivity, measured at baseline, was associated with faster rise in estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) at each follow-up period.

RESULTS

All UPPS sub-scales were associated with faster rise in eBAC across a drinking episode. In a multivariate model including all sub-scales as simultaneous predictors, sensation seeking and (lack of) perseverance were independently positively associated with rate of consumption. Additional analyses indicated that greater negative urgency and sensation seeking were associated with faster rises in eBAC in participants with BPD, relative to community comparisons.

CONCLUSION

In a sample that captured a wide spectrum of impulsivity, greater impulsivity was associated with drinking alcohol at a faster rate. People higher in sensation seeking and (lack of) perseverance may be prone to drink at faster rates out of a desire to maximize the hedonic effects of alcohol.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

This study finds that people who are more impulsive tend to drink alcohol faster, putting them at greater risk for negative consequences. This may explain, in part, why impulsivity is linked to experiencing alcohol-related problems.

Alcohol use in emerging adults associated with lower rich-club connectivity and greater connectome network disorganization

BACKGROUND

Emerging adulthood is a critical neurodevelopmental stage, with alcohol use during this period consistently associated with brain abnormalities and damage in anatomical structure and white matter integrity. However, it is less clear how alcohol use is associated with the brain's structural organization (i.e., white matter connections between anatomical regions). Recent connectome research has focused on rich-club regions, a collection of highly-interconnected hubs that are critical in brain communication and global network organization and disproportionately vulnerable to insults.

METHODS

For the first time, we examined alcohol use associations with structural rich-club and connectome organization in emerging adults (N = 66).

RESULTS

Greater lifetime drinks and current monthly drinks were significantly associated with lower rich-club organization (r_s =-0.38, ps < 0.003) and lower rich-club connectivity (r_s <-0.34, ps < 0.007). Additionally, rich-club connectivity was significantly more negatively correlated with alcohol use than connectivity among non-rich-club regions (ps < 0.035). Examining overall structural organization, greater lifetime drinks and current monthly drinks were significantly associated with lower network density (i.e., lower network resilience; r_s <-0.36, ps = 0.004). Additionally, greater lifetime drinks and current monthly drinks were significantly associated with higher network segregation (i.e., network's tendency to divide into subnetworks; r_s >0.33, ps<0.008). Alcohol use was not significantly associated with network integration (i.e., network's efficiency in combining information across the brain; ps > 0.064).

CONCLUSIONS

Results provide novel evidence that alcohol use is associated with decreased rich-club connectivity and structural network disorganization. Given that both are critical in global brain communication, these results highlight the importance of examining alcohol use and brain relationships in emerging adulthood.

Prospective Study Examining the Effects of Extreme Drinking on Brain Structure in Emerging Adults

BACKGROUND

Emerging adulthood is a critical neurodevelopment period in which extreme drinking has a potentially pronounced neurotoxic effect. Therefore, extreme drinking, even a single episode, could be particularly harmful to the developing brain's structure. Relatedly, heavy alcohol use in emerging adults has been associated with structural brain damage, especially in the corpus callosum. However, it is unclear whether and how much a single extreme drinking episode would affect brain morphometry.

METHODS

For the first time in the literature, the current study prospectively examined the impact of an extreme drinking episode (i.e., twenty-first birthday celebration) on the brain morphometry of emerging adults immediately following their birthday celebration (n = 50) and approximately 5 weeks post-birthday celebration (n = 29).

RESULTS

We found evidence that a single extreme drinking episode was associated with structural changes immediately post-birthday celebration. Specifically, higher twenty-first birthday estimated blood-alcohol concentration was associated with decreased volume of the posterior and central corpus callosum immediately post-birthday celebration. This extreme drinking episode was not associated with further structural changes, or recovery, 5 weeks post-twenty-first birthday celebration.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, results suggest that a single episode of heavy drinking in emerging adulthood may be associated with immediate structural changes of the corpus callosum. Thus, emerging adulthood, which is characterized by high rates of extreme drinking, could be a critical period for targeted prevention and intervention.

Twenty-first birthday drinking: Extreme-drinking episodes and white matter microstructural changes in the fornix and corpus callosum

The 21st birthday celebration is characterized by extreme alcohol consumption. Accumulating evidence suggests that high-dose bingeing is related to structural brain changes and cognitive deficits. This is particularly problematic in the transition from adolescence to adulthood when the brain is still maturing, elevating the brain's sensitivity to the acute effects of alcohol intoxication. Heavy drinking is associated with reduced structural integrity in the hippocampus and corpus callosum and is accompanied by cognitive deficits. However, there is little research examining changes in the human brain related to discrete heavy-drinking episodes. The present study investigated whether alcohol exposure during a 21st birthday celebration would result in changes to white matter microstructure by utilizing diffusion tensor imaging measures and a quasi-experimental design. By examining structural changes in the brain from pre- to postcelebration within subjects (N = 49) prospectively, we were able to more directly observe brain changes following an extreme-drinking episode. Region of interest analyses demonstrated increased fractional anisotropy in the posterior fornix (p < .0001) and in the body of the corpus callosum (p = .0029) from pre- to postbirthday celebration. These results suggest acute white matter damage to the fornix and corpus callosum following an extreme-drinking episode, which is especially problematic during continued neurodevelopment. Therefore, 21st birthday drinking may be considered an important target event for preventing acute brain injury in young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Alcohol use in young adults associated with cortical gyrification

BACKGROUND

Young adulthood has the highest rates of alcohol use and high-risk drinking behavior. This period is also a critical neurodevelopmental stage, with neural insults having a profound neurotoxic effect on the brain. Cortical gyrification is thought, in part, to reflect early brain maturation (e.g., hypogyrification in fetal alcohol syndrome). There is also evidence that cortical gyrification is sensitive to later-life events (e.g., fluctuations in malnutrition in young adults). However, no study has examined how alcohol use in young adulthood is associated with cortical gyrification.

METHODS

We examined the associations between cortical gyrification with lifetime alcohol use and past year hangover symptoms in young adults (N = 78).

RESULTS

Lifetime alcohol use was associated with hypogyria in multiple cortical regions (rs ≤ -.27, ps ≤ .0159; right orbitofrontal, right temporal pole, and left lateral occipital). Further, past year hangover symptoms were associated with hypogyria (rs ≤ -.27, ps ≤ .0034), overlapping with lifetime alcohol use (right orbitofrontal and left lateral occipital). Hangover symptoms were also uniquely associated with hypogyria of other cortical regions (rs ≤ -.30, ps ≤ .0002; right parahippocampal gyrus, left inferior temporal/parahippocampal gyrus and right anterior insula).

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, results suggest that young adulthood is a critical period for targeted prevention and intervention, especially for individuals exhibiting heavy alcohol consumption and high-risk drinking behavior.

Lack of Association between Opioid-Receptor Genotypes and Smoking Cessation Outcomes in a Randomized, Controlled Naltrexone Trial

AIMS

The present study examined how variation in mu- (OPRM1), kappa- (OPRK), and delta- (OPRD) opioid receptor genes may influence the efficacy of naltrexone in the context of a smoking cessation trial.

METHODS

The study's primary objective was to examine the association of the Asn40Asp OPRM1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with naltrexone's effects on smoking quit rate, weight gain, and heavy drinking behavior during a double-blind, randomized clinical trial in 280 adult DSM-IV nicotine-dependent participants. The secondary goal of the study was to examine the relationship of 20 additional SNPs of OPRM1, OPRK, and OPRD with the aforementioned outcomes.

RESULTS

Results indicated a null association between any opioid-receptor gene SNP and naltrexone's effects on smoking quit rate, weight gain, and heavy drinking behavior in this sample of nicotine dependent participants.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, these results do not suggest that genetic variation in opioid-receptors is related to treatment responses to naltrexone in a smoking cessation trial.

Moderation of alcohol craving reactivity to drinking-related contexts by individual differences in alcohol sensitivity: An ecological investigation

Laboratory cue exposure investigations have demonstrated that, relative to drinkers who report a high sensitivity to the pharmacologic effects of alcohol, low-sensitivity (LS) drinkers show exaggerated neurocognitive and behavioral reactivity to alcohol-related stimuli. The current study extends this line of work by testing whether LS drinkers report stronger cravings for alcohol in daily life. Data were from an ecological momentary assessment study in which participants (N = 403 frequent drinkers) carried a palmtop computer for 21 days and responded to questions regarding drinking behavior, alcohol craving, mood states, and situational context. Initial analyses identified subjective states (positive and negative mood, cigarette craving) and contextual factors (bar-restaurant location, weekend, time of day, presence of friend, recent smoking) associated with elevated craving states during nondrinking moments. Effects for nearly all these craving correlates were moderated by individual differences in alcohol sensitivity, such that the associations between situational factors and current alcohol craving were larger among LS individuals (as determined by a questionnaire completed at baseline). Complementary idiographic analyses indicated that self-reported craving increased when the constellation of situational factors more closely resembled individuals' observed drinking situations. Again, this effect was moderated by alcohol sensitivity, with greater craving response increases among LS drinkers. The findings align with predictions generated from theory and laboratory cue exposure investigations and should encourage further study of craving and incentive processes in LS drinkers. (PsycINFO Database Record

Hangover Symptoms, Heavy Episodic Drinking, and Depression in Young Adults: A Cross-Lagged Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine associations between symptoms of alcohol hangover and depression, both cross-sectionally and prospectively.

METHOD

Data were from a survey of young adults (N = 986, 60% female) initially recruited as part of an observational study of youth smoking. Participants reported past-year hangover symptoms, past-year frequency of heavy episodic drinking (HED), and past-week depression symptoms on two occasions separated by 1 year. Path analysis was used to evaluate prospective, directional associations linking symptoms of depression and hangover after taking into account their stabilities and cross-sectional associations. Individual differences in HED frequency were accounted for to permit interpretation of residual hangover score variance in terms of susceptibility to hangover effects.

RESULTS

Past-week depression and past-year hangover symptoms were associated at Time 1. Path analysis indicated that Time 1 depression symptoms were associated with elevated hangover symptoms a year later at Time 2. In contrast, Time 1 hangover symptoms did not predict future depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression symptoms are associated with current and future hangover susceptibility. Hangover and depression overlap symptomatically and are empirically associated with one another, suggesting the possibility that common underlying causal mechanisms may contribute to both phenomena.

P3 event-related potential reactivity to smoking cues: Relations with craving, tobacco dependence, and alcohol sensitivity in young adult smokers

The current study tested whether the amplitude of the P3 event-related potential (ERP) elicited by smoking cues is (a) associated with the degree of self-reported craving reactivity, and (b) moderated by degree of tobacco dependence. Because alcohol and cigarettes are frequently used together, and given recent evidence indicating that individual differences in alcohol sensitivity influence reactivity to alcohol cues, we also investigated whether alcohol sensitivity moderated neural responses to smoking cues. ERPs were recorded from young adult smokers (N = 90) while they participated in an evaluative categorization oddball task involving 3 types of targets: neutral images, smoking-related images, and images of drinking straws. Participants showing larger P3 amplitudes to smoking cues and to straw cues (relative to neutral targets) reported greater increases in craving after cue exposure. Neither smoking status (daily vs. occasional use) nor psychometric measures of tobacco dependence consistently or specifically moderated P3 reactivity to smoking cues. Lower alcohol sensitivity was associated with larger P3 to smoking cues but not comparison straw cues (relative to neutral targets). This effect was further moderated by tobacco dependence, with the combination of lower sensitivity and higher dependence associated with especially pronounced P3 reactivity to smoking cues. The findings suggest the smoking-cue elicited P3 ERP component indexes an approach-oriented incentive motivational state accompanied by a subjective sense of cigarette craving. Self-reported low sensitivity to the pharmacologic effects of alcohol may represent a marker of drug cue reactivity and therefore deserves attention as a potential moderator in smoking cue exposure studies. (PsycINFO Database Record

The natural expression of individual differences in self-reported level of response to alcohol during ecologically assessed drinking episodes

RATIONALE

Low sensitivity to alcohol is a well-established risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, little is known about how the low sensitivity phenotype is expressed on a fine-grained, momentary level in drinkers' daily experience.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the study is to evaluate individual differences in subjective states and appraisals of alcoholic beverages during the ascending limb of real-world drinking episodes.

METHODS

Social drinkers (N = 398) with varying degrees of alcohol sensitivity as indexed by the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol form (SRE; Schuckit et al. in Addiction 92:979-988, 1997a) recorded diary entries over a 3-week monitoring period (2576 drinking episodes containing 6546 moments). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to evaluate whether individual differences in alcohol sensitivity predicted differing intra-episode estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) trajectories, ratings of subjective states, and drink appraisals.

RESULTS

Lower self-reported alcohol sensitivity was associated with consuming "too much, too fast," as indicated by a steeper slope of ascending eBAC. In models adjusted for momentary eBAC level, participants reporting lower alcohol sensitivity at baseline showed blunted subjective intoxication and drink-contingent punishment.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that low sensitivity to alcohol is associated with a blunting of some forms of subjective feedback (i.e., perceptions of intoxication and punishment) that might typically encourage drinking restraint. This may 'tip the scales' toward excess consumption and could help to explain why a low alcohol sensitivity forecasts AUD.

Smoking antecedents: separating between- and within-person effects of tobacco dependence in a multiwave ecological momentary assessment investigation of adolescent smoking

INTRODUCTION

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) investigations have shown that the antecedents of smoking vary with individual differences in tobacco dependence. This has been interpreted as indicating that the transition to dependence is characterized by an erosion of external stimulus control over smoking. Rigorously testing this requires collecting multiple waves of EMA data, which permits separation of the influence of between- and within-person tobacco dependence variation in multilevel models.

METHODS

Adolescents (n = 313, 9th or 10th grade at baseline) participated in up to 4 waves of week-long EMA assessment over the course of 2 years as part of a larger longitudinal, observational study. At each wave, participants recorded contextual features and subjective states in response to prompted diary assessments and when smoking. They completed a youth-specific form of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale at each wave.

RESULTS

In cross-sectional multilevel analyses, smoking was less contingent on alcohol/drug use and was more common at home and in the morning for adolescents with higher levels of dependence. Multiwave analyses demonstrated that these effects were largely attributable to between-person variation in dependence, although parameter estimates for intraindividual dependence × antecedent effects tended to be in the predicted direction.

DISCUSSION

Findings provided partial support for the contention that the antecedents of smoking shift as an individual progresses to higher levels of dependence. Distinctive choices concerning smoking settings also appear to reflect between-person differences in propensity to dependence. More generally, the findings illustrate the value of using multilevel modeling and repeated EMA assessments to investigate the correlates of tobacco dependence at different levels of analysis.

Self-administered web-based timeline followback procedure for drinking and smoking behaviors in young adults

OBJECTIVE

The goal of the current investigation was to test the psychometric properties of a self-administered web-based version of the Timeline Followback (TLFB), a retrospective calendar method of assessing daily behaviors.

METHOD

The study used a within-subjects, counterbalanced design to compare estimates of daily drinking and smoking behaviors obtained by a self-administered web-based version of the TLFB with estimates obtained by a telephone interview version. The sample consisted of 120 social drinker-smoker young adults (65 men).

RESULTS

Correlations between the two modalities for total number of drinks, total drinking days, and heavy drinking days in a 4-week period ranged from .83 to .93; those for total cigarettes, total smoking days, and heavy smoking days ranged from .90 to .95. The correlation between the two modalities for estimates of the number of co-use days was .90. Drinking and smoking estimates from the online TLFB also correlated significantly with scores from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the results demonstrated strong support for the use of a self-administered web-based TLFB assessment tool to capture concurrent reports of social drinking and smoking behaviors in young adults. The web-based TLFB may be particularly well suited for assessment in clinical trials, longitudinal designs, and epidemiological studies.