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Objective: This study aims to identify key process variables that are associated with changes in alcohol consumption and mental health symptoms over 12months following personality-targeted interventions in youth.Method: 154 high-risk youth (aged 12-13years) in 7 Montreal high schools were identified using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale and participated in personality-matched interventions. Preliminary process variables were identified using a combination of psychotherapy process variables and youth-generated (qualitative) feedback immediately post-intervention.Results: Learning, skill development and a positive group experience were key to positive behavioural change. Youth-generated feedback independently accounted for 12-25% of the variance in the change in alcohol use and mental health symptoms over 12months. Changes in cognitive distortions and self-esteem accounted for somewhat less of the variance in alcohol use (0-9%), but a moderate-to-large portion of the variance in changes in mental health symptoms (up to 44%).Conclusions: The study findings highlight candidate process variables relevant to future implementations of this program that might inform change processes relevant to brief interventions with youth more generally. This study suggests that youth experiences can indicate proximal measures of program efficacy, and has implications for the dissemination of this brief intervention program. Clinical Trial registered on www.ClinicalTrials.gov, "Does Delaying Adolescent Substance Use Lead to Improved Cognitive Function and Reduce Risk for Addiction", study NCT01655615. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to explore the mechanisms of personality-targeted intervention effects on problematic drinking, internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Method: As part of a cluster-randomized trial, 1,210 high-risk students (mean age 13.7 years) in 19 London high schools (42.6% White, 54% male) were identified using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale. Intervention school participants were invited to participate in personality-matched interventions by trained school staff. MacKinnon's products of coefficients method was used to compare 3 complementary mechanism hypotheses, namely, whether early changes in (a) alcohol use, (b) internalizing and externalizing symptoms, or (c) personality during the 6 months postintervention accounted for intervention effects over 2 years. Results: Early intervention effects on drinking behaviors during the 6 months postintervention partially accounted for longer term intervention effects on the onset of binge drinking (95% confidence interval [CI] [-.349, -.062]) and drinking problems (95% CI [-.206, -.016]) over 2 years. Intervention effects on anxiety symptoms and conduct problems were partially mediated by early reductions in depressive symptoms (95% CI [-.013, -.001]; 95% CI [-.047, -.001]), and intervention effects on internalizing symptoms were also partially mediated by reductions in anxiety sensitivity (95% CI [-.003, 0]). Conclusions: 2-year intervention effects on problematic drinking were largely accounted for by early changes in drinking behaviors, and were not mediated by changes in mental health symptoms or personality risk factors. Early improvements in mood and anxiety sensitivity partially mediated longer term reductions in mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the role of personality factors and attentional biases towards emotional faces, in establishing concurrent and prospective risk for mental disorder diagnosis in adolescence. Method: Data were obtained as part of the IMAGEN study, conducted across 8 European sites, with a community sample of 2257 adolescents. At 14 years, participants completed an emotional variant of the dot-probe task, as well two personality measures, namely the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale and the revised NEO Personality Inventory. At 14 and 16 years, participants and their parents were interviewed to determine symptoms of mental disorders. Results: Personality traits were general and specific risk indicators for mental disorders at 14 years. Increased specificity was obtained when investigating the likelihood of mental disorders over a 2-year period, with the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale showing incremental validity over the NEO Personality Inventory. Attentional biases to emotional faces did not characterise or predict mental disorders examined in the current sample. Discussion: Personality traits can indicate concurrent and prospective risk for mental disorders in a community youth sample, and identify at-risk youth beyond the impact of baseline symptoms. This study does not support the hypothesis that attentional biases mediate the relationship between personality and psychopathology in a community sample. Task and sample characteristics that contribute to differing results among studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research on associations between children's prosocial behaviour and mental health has provided mixed evidence. The present study sought to describe and predict the joint development of prosocial behaviour with externalizing and internalizing problems (physical aggression, anxiety and depression) from 2 to 11 years of age. Method Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth ( NLSCY). Biennial prosocial behaviour, physical aggression, anxiety and depression maternal ratings were sought for 10,700 children aged 0 to 9 years at the first assessment point. Results While a negative association was observed between prosociality and physical aggression, more complex associations emerged with internalizing problems. Being a boy decreased the likelihood of membership in the high prosocial trajectory. Maternal depression increased the likelihood of moderate aggression, but also of joint high prosociality/low aggression. Low family income predicted the joint development of high prosociality with high physical aggression and high depression. Conclusions Individual differences exist in the association of prosocial behaviour with mental health. While high prosociality tends to co-occur with low levels of mental health problems, high prosociality and internalizing/externalizing problems can co-occur in subgroups of children. Child, mother and family characteristics are predictive of individual differences in prosocial behaviour and mental health development. Mechanisms underlying these associations warrant future investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The neurobiology of risk for alcohol use disorders ( AUDs) remains poorly understood. Individual differences in vulnerability, though, have been indicated by subjective responses to alcohol ingestion and personality traits. Methods To investigate the relationship between these features and striatal dopamine (DA) responses to alcohol, we studied 26 healthy young social drinkers (21.3 ± 3.0 years old; 10.7 ± 8.8 drinks/wk) at varying risk for alcoholism. Each participant received 2 positron emission tomography [11C]raclopride scans after administration of either placebo or oral alcohol (1 ml/kg body weight of 94% alcohol, 0.75 g/kg) in a randomized and counterbalanced design. Results Subjects with high-risk subjective responses to alcohol had more family members with AUDs, greater alcohol use problems, and, in response to the alcohol challenge, significant decreases in [11C]raclopride binding indicative of increased extracellular DA. In contrast, low-risk subjects exhibited increases in [11C]raclopride binding in response to alcohol. The results were similar when risk groups were based on personality traits, although statistically less robust. Conclusions Changes in striatal DA in response to alcohol ingestion may be a neurobiological marker of vulnerability to AUDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopamine neurotransmission influences approach toward rewards and reward-related cues. The best cited interpretation of this effect proposes that dopamine mediates the pleasure that commonly accompanies reward. This hypothesis has received support in some animal models and a few studies in humans. However, direct assessments of the effect of transiently increasing dopamine neurotransmission have been largely limited to the use of psychostimulant drugs, which elevate brain levels of multiple neurotransmitters in addition to dopamine. In the present study we tested the effect of more selectively elevating dopamine neurotransmission, as produced by administration of the immediate dopamine precursor, LDOPA (0, 100/25, 200/50 mg, Sinemet), in healthy human volunteers. Neither dose altered positive mood. The results suggest that dopamine neurotransmission does not directly influence positive mood in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence are available. Moreover, the best supported treatment, naltrexone hydrochloride, appears to work for only some. To investigate potential predictors of these differential responses, 40 social drinkers (20 women) were administered 6 days of treatment with naltrexone vs. placebo in a double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover design. At the end of each treatment period, participants received a single dose of their preferred alcoholic beverage followed by the opportunity to work for additional alcohol units using a progressive ratio (PR) breakpoint paradigm. All subjects but one were genotyped for the A118G polymorphism of the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1). Naltrexone decreased the ethanol-induced 'euphoria' to a priming dose of alcohol in two subgroups: (i) in women, and (ii) in subjects with the A118G polymorphism of the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1). Naltrexone did not decrease motivation to work for additional alcoholic beverages on the PR task regardless of gender or genotype. The results add to the evidence that naltrexone decreases positive subjective effects of alcohol, with preferential effects in distinct subgroups. Similar effects in heavier drinkers might decrease alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Animal and human adult studies reveal a contribution of serotonin to behavior regulation. Whether these findings apply to children is unclear. The present study investigated serotonergic functioning in boys with a history of behavior regulation difficulties through a double-blind, acute tryptophan supplementation procedure. Method: Participants were 23 boys (age 10 years) with a history of elevated physical aggression, recruited from a community sample. Eleven were given a chocolate milkshake supplemented with 500mg tryptophan, and 12 received a chocolate milkshake without tryptophan. Boys engaged in a competitive reaction time game against a fictitious opponent, which assessed response to provocation, impulsivity, perspective taking, and sharing. Impulsivity was further assessed through a Go/ No-Go paradigm. A computerized emotion recognition task and a staged instrumental help incident were also administered Results: Boys, regardless of group, responded similarly to high provocation by the fictitious opponent. However, boys in the tryptophan group adjusted their level of responding optimally as a function of the level of provocation, whereas boys in the control group significantly decreased their level of responding towards the end of the competition. Boys in the tryptophan group tended to show greater perspective taking, tended to better distinguish facial expressions of fear and happiness, and tended to provide greater instrumental help to the experimenter Conclusions: The present study provides initial evidence for the feasibility of acute tryptophan supplementation in children and some effect of tryptophan supplementation on children's behaviors. Further studies are warranted to explore the potential impact of increased serotonergic functioning on boys' dominant and affiliative behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intoxicated aggression is both a dangerous and a costly problem for society, with alcohol being involved in over 50% of violent crimes, and the cost of alcohol-consumption-related crime being estimated at $205 billion in the United States alone. First, the authors reviewed the substantial evidence for the connection between alcohol consumption and aggression, and then they examined the risk factors for this problem. These included societal/cultural factors, such as availability and alcohol expectancies, and individual factors, such as demographic characteristics, personality, comorbid disorders, individual differences in response to alcohol, and cognitive functioning. Finally, interventions were suggested focusing on policy, alcohol sellers, treatments for alcohol abuse and dependency, anger management, pharmacology, and low executive functioning. Further efforts are still needed to target interventions to specific risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To clarify dopamine''s role in alcohol self-administration in a heterogeneous sample of drinkers using acute phenylalanine/tyrosine depletion (APTD). Methods: Sixteen men with variable drinking histories were characterized on their ethanol-induced cardiac response, a marker previously proposed to index dopamine system reactivity and vulnerability to alcohol abuse. During separate sessions participants were administered (i) a nutritionally balanced (BAL) amino acid (AA) mixture, (ii) a mixture lacking the dopamine precursors, phenylalanine and tyrosine, and (iii) APTD followed by the dopamine precursor, l-DOPA. Five hours after AA administration, participants could earn units of alcohol using a progressive ratio breakpoint task. Results: Alcohol self-administration was reduced in the APTD and APTD+ l-DOPA conditions relative to the BAL condition. In both cases the changes were predicted by ethanol-induced cardiac change. Conclusions: The motivation to drink is likely regulated by more than one neurobiological mechanism. Individual differences in cardiac responsivity to ethanol might provide a peripheral marker of responsiveness to pharmacological manipulations of dopamine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Given the central role of perseverative chasing in problem gambling, the present study sought to find evidence for three hypothesized components of perseveration in problem gamblers: reward-sensitivity dominance, deficient inhibition of reward-seeking behavior, and working memory deficits. This was the first attempt to examine working memory deficits in problem gamblers using a conditional association task, which is associated with posterior-dorsolateral prefrontal functioning. In a sample that was not in treatment, and representative in terms of comorbidity, problem gamblers performed significantly worse on the conditional association working memory tasks after controlling for general memory function, compared to demographically-matched controls. This is significant because deficits in the dorsolateral prefrontal region have been consistently associated with perseveration, which suggests that problem gamblers' perseverative chasing may be associated with a working memory deficit. Problem gamblers were not significantly higher than at-risk gamblers in terms of reward-sensitivity dominance (measured as a personality trait in terms of extraversion) suggesting that it may not be specifically associated with problem gambling. Sensation-seeking was also not associated with problem gambling in a sample that corrected for the methodological problems of previous studies which examined it. The need for gambling research to focus specifically on the perseverative inability to stop gambling is emphasized, and the present findings of specific working memory deficits in problem gamblers suggest the need for further examination of working memory as a potential risk factor for problem gambling. We propose that subsequent studies examine working memory in terms of the self-regulatory capacity for goal maintenance where attention must specifically be allocated to resist interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An exaggerated heart rate (HR) increase following alcohol intoxication has been suggested to reflect sensitivity to alcohol-induced reward. The goal of this study is to verify whether pairing alcohol ingestion with conditioned reward and nonreward cues can influence HR responses to alcohol in previously identified individuals with a low and a high HR response. Methods: Fifty-six male social drinkers participated in a 2-day study. On day 1, participants consumed 0.75 g/kg of body weight of pure ethanol. A median split of the alcohol-induced HR responses identified groups of low and high HR responders. On day 2, both groups participated while sober in a computer task where distinct auditory and visual cues were paired either with monetary reward or no monetary reward. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to an alcohol challenge, which occurred while they were exposed to either the conditioned cues of reward or to the nonreward cues. Results: The physiological response to alcohol intoxication on day 2 was compared with alcohol-induced HR responses on day 1 (neutral alcohol challenge) for both low and high HR responders. Paired t-tests showed that high HR responders had significantly decreased alcohol-induced HR responses on day 2 in the nonreward condition when compared with day 1. No other relationships between cardiac responses to alcohol and cue conditions were obtained. Conclusions: The rewarding nature of alcohol can be altered by the context in which it is consumed in a subset of individuals who are sensitive to alcohol's stimulating properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the elevated heart rate (HR) response to alcohol intoxication, thought to reflect an increased sensitivity to alcohol-induced reward, as a potential factor in the increased likelihood of alcohol-induced aggression. Methods: Three groups, intoxicated high ( n=37) and low ( n=37) HR responders and sober controls ( n=73), participated in a laboratory measure of physical aggression, the Taylor Aggression Paradigm. Results: Results revealed that intoxicated high HR responders were more aggressive than the intoxicated low HR responders and sober controls. Conclusions: These findings are interpreted within a hypothetical model relating increased alcohol-induced aggression to a dysregulation in the motivational system responding to rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence suggests that executive cognitive functions (ECF), putatively reflecting abilities traditionally associated with the prefrontal cortex, may be related to Spearman's ‘g’ factor. Although some studies suggest that no gender differences exist in ‘g’ or ECF, gender differences in the relationship between ‘g’ and ECF have yet to be investigated. Thirty eight boys and thirty nine girls (mean age of 13.4 years) completed the Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM), as a measure of ‘g’, and the Spatial Conditional Associative-Learning Task (SCALT), as a measure of abilities associated with ECF. Results indicated no significant gender differences in scores on the RPM and SCALT. A significant association was found between scores on the RPM and the SCALT for the combined male and female sample. However, gender differences were found in this association, as RPM was significantly associated with SCALT only with boys, and not with girls. These results are in agreement with other findings suggesting no gender differences in ‘g’ or ECF, and that g may be a reflection of ECF. In addition, these results suggest that although no gender differences may be found in ‘g’ or ECF, it is important to consider gender differences in their interrelationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the statistical relationship between neuropsychological performance, IQ and personality test results and school grades in a longitudinal sample of adolescent males. One-hundred and forty-eight boys completed six years of WISC-R short forms (Block Design and Vocabulary) and provided six years of math and language grades and grade failure data while in elementary school. In junior high school, the same boys completed an extensive neuropsychological test battery and the NEO-PI-R, a standard big five personality trait measure. Neuropsychological test scores were more powerfully associated with grades than were IQ scores, despite their later and single administration. In addition, hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that three of four neuropsychological test score factors (Verbal Learning, Executive Function, and Tactile Laterality improved the statistical association with six-year averaged failure-weighted grades over and above IQ (averaged Vocabulary and Block Design). NEO-PI-R Agreeableness was significantly and positively related to grades, over and above both IQ and neuropsychological function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the role of individual differences in mediating the variability in memory scores for participants who had consumed alcohol. Significant relationship of age and vocabulary with memory score following drinking; Likelihood that alcohol affects incidental memory by non-specific enhancement or interference processes.

The present study examines the relationship of familial and personality risk factors for alcoholism to individual differences in sensitivity to the positively and negatively reinforcing properties of alcohol. Sixteen sons of male alcoholics with multigenerational family histories of alcoholism (MFH) and 11 men who self-report heightened sensitivity to anxiety (HAS) were compared with 13 age-matched family history negative, low anxiety sensitive men (FH-LAS) on sober and alcohol-intoxicated response patterns. We were interested in the effects of alcohol on specific psychophysiological indices of 'stimulus reactivity,' anxiety, and incentive reward. Alcohol significantly dampened heart rate reactivity to aversive stimulation for the MFH and HAS men equally, yet did not for the FH-LAS group. HAS men evidenced idiosyncrasies with respect to alcohol-induced changes in electrodermal reactivity to avenive stimulation (an index of anxiety/fear-dampening), and MFH men demonstrated elevated alcohol-intoxicated resting heart rates (an index of psychostimulation) relative to the FH-LAS men. The results are interpreted as reflecting a sensitivity to the 'stimulus reactivity-dampening' effects of alcohol in both high-risk groups, yet population-specific sensitivities to the fear-dampening and psychostimulant properties of alcohol in the HAS and MFH groups, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both sons of male alcoholics with multigenerational family history of male alcoholism (MFH) and sons of essential hypertensives (HTs) exhibit elevated psychophysiological reactivity to stress when compared with male controls (FH-). MFHs also demonstrate a significant baseline heart rate increase and stress-response dampening following alcohol consumption. The present study investigates the specificity of this alcohol-induced psychophysiological response pattern by testing these two risk groups in a shock response paradigm, both sober and alcohol-intoxicated. A repeated measures analysis of variance on sober and alcohol-intoxicated heart rate reactivity yielded a significant risk by alcohol interaction, indicating that alcohol consumption led to a greater decrease in reactivity in the MFH group compared with the HT and FH- groups. Similar results were obtained for muscle tension measures. MFHs also displayed greater increases in resting baseline heart rate and muscle tension when alcohol intoxicated. The results may reflect a sensitivity to negatively and positively reinforcing effects of alcohol specific to individuals with multigenerational familial histories of alcoholism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two groups of sons of alcoholic fathers of differing family pedigrees for alcoholism [multigenerational (MGH) versus unigenerational (UGH)] were compared on measures of cardiovascular reactivity to unavoidable shock under alcohol and no alcohol consumption conditions. The MGH subjects were significantly more reactive than UGH subjects to the shock procedure on a measure of peripheral vasoconstriction (digital blood volume amplitude) with a similar trend on heart rate. The MGH subjects were significantly more sensitive to the reactivity dampening effects of alcohol than the UGH subjects on both cardiovascular measures. MGH subjects were also significantly more alexithymic than UGH subjects. The results are discussed in terms of the potential etiological significance of these characteristics in MGH males, and the importance of delineating the family history for at least two generations when assigning risk status to potential subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an information-processing model that helps to explain how cognitive deficits may contribute to the children of alcoholics (COA) behavioral problems and risk for alcoholism. Indicates how frequent cognitive deficits are in COAs; Limitations of studies of cognitive deficits in COAs; Studies on sons of male alcoholics (SOMA). INSET: Children of alcoholics..

Explores the interactions between alcohol, serotonin and aggression. Function of the neurotransmitter serotonin; Animal and human studies on serotonin and aggression, and serotonin and alcohol; How serotonin affects the expression of aggression; Conclusion.

Discusses the connections between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood conduct disorder, and the development later in life of alcoholism or other drug abuse. Definitions of disorders; Longitudinal studies of the association of ADHD and alcoholism; Rule-breaking behavior and susceptibility to alcoholism; Conclusions.

Investigates the effects of aggressive disposition on intoxicated and non-intoxicated aggressive behavior. Assignment of low and high aggressor groups; Administering and receiving of electric shocks to and from a fictitious opponent under conditions of high and low provocation; Effect of alcohol on the facilitation of aggressive behavior.

Individuals with impaired cognitive abilities associated with frontal lobe function have recently been shown to manifest increased aggression. This study investigated the effect of contingent money to inhibit aggression in these individuals. One hundred and forty males, aged 18-40, were ranked according to their performance on the Spatial Conditional Associative-Learning task. Forty-eight males (24 with scores in each of the upper and lower performance quartiles) participated in the full study. Half of the subjects competed in a Taylor aggression task where they received a monetary incentive for choosing lower shocks; the remainder competed without any monetary contingency. Aggression was defined as shock intensity delivered to a sham opponent. Shock intensity significantly increased as a main effect of lower cognitive performance, absence of monetary incentive, and provocation. In addition, provocation interacted significantly with test performance. Finally, individuals in the upper cognitive performance quartile showed significantly greater reductions of unprovoked aggression in response to monetary incentive. The results are discussed in terms of impairments in the ability to associate inhibitory influences in the formulation of behavioral strategies under aggressive conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from experimental animals suggest that 5-hydroxytryptainine (5HT) may have an inhibitory effect on aggression, while clinical studies have found a correlation between pathological aggression and low brain 5HT. To investigate this relationship further we used amino acid mixtures designed to raise or tower the levels of the 5HT precursor, tryptophan. Normal male subjects were given tryptophan-depleted, balanced, or tryptophan-supplemented amino add mixtures and tested for aggression 5 hours later. The balanced amino acid mixture served as a control for the tryptophan depletion and supplementation. Testing for aggression was done using the Buss paradigm in which subjects deliver electric shocks to a (nonexistent) partner in response to stimulus tones. Duration and intensity of shock delivered were the measure of aggression, while responsivity to the stimulus tones was the measure of perceptual sensitivity. Neither tryptophan supplementation nor tryptophan depletion had any effect on these measures of aggression or perceptual sensitivity. We conclude that raising or lowering the synthesis of brain 5HT through alterations in tryptophan availability does not influence aggression in normal males as measured by the Russ task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines which type of cognitive functions differentiated boys with a long stable history of physical aggression from those without such a history. Multifactorial likelihood of expressing violent behavior; Importance of deficits in executive function in the expression of physical aggression relative to other cognitive-neuropsychological functions.

Investigates the relationships between provocation, acute alcohol intoxication, impaired frontal lobe function and aggressive behavior. Performance on two neuropsychological tests associated with frontal lobe function; Aggression task.

Examines the cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity and parent-rated conduct problems of boys from families with an extensive history of paternal alcoholism. Performance on neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe function; Temporal organization; Conditional-associate learning; Control over working memory.

The existence of a relationship between cardiovascular reactivity to signalled shock and alcohol consumption can be inferred from studies of males at increased familial risk for alcoholism. The present study examined two groups of nonalcoholic men—those with multigenerational histories (MGH) of alcoholism and family-history negative (FH-) controls—to determine whether reactivity was related to voluntary ethanol consumption in the context of a beverage taste test. High reactors, a significant majority of whom were MGH males, drank significantly more vodka and orange juice, rum and coke, and orange juice when asked to rate the flavor of three alcoholic and two nonalcoholic drinks. High reactors also consumed more alcohol on a weekly basis according to their self-report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses autonomic reactivity to cognitive stress in ten-year-old boys who had been assigned to either disruptive, anxious or control groups. Socioeconomic status; Familial disadvantages; Aggressiveness of disruptive boys; Autonomic parameters examined.

Examines the relationship of physical aggression and pain sensitivity in boys. Definitions of aggression; Differences in pain sensitivity; Variations of anxiety; Role of family adversity in pain ratings; Overlap between executive functions and pain sensitivity.

This article tests the hypothesis that the relationship between severity of organicity and the Verbal-Performance (V-P) discrepancy should increase as the discrepancy between verbal and performance IQ increases in an epileptic population. V-P discrepancies on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children for 87 children and on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale for 83 adults were classified as normal (1-7 points), moderately abnormal (8-17), and severely abnormal (18+). Electroencephalography (EEGs) for these epileptic patients were classified as normal, moderately abnormal, and abnormal. Contingency coefficients relating these two measures yielded non-significance. Determination of laterality of EEG dysfunctioning from the verbal-performance discrepancy was also non-significant. The study suggests that the usage of the V-P discrepancy to predict laterality is presently limited to acute-specific disorders.

An abstract of the article "Process Variables Predicting Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Mental Health Symptoms Following Personality-Targeted Interventions in Adolescence: An Exploratory Study" by Maeve O'Leary-Barrett and colleagues is presented.

Aims Substance use and binge drinking during early adolescence are associated with neurocognitive abnormalities, mental health problems and an increased risk for future addiction. The trial aims to evaluate the protective effects of an evidence-based substance use prevention programme on the onset of alcohol and drug use in adolescence, as well as on cognitive, mental health and addiction outcomes over 5 years. Design Thirty-eight high schools will be recruited, with a final sample of 31 schools assigned to intervention or control conditions (3826 youth). Brief personality-targeted interventions will be delivered to high-risk youth attending intervention schools during the first year of the trial. Control school participants will receive no intervention above what is offered to them in the regular curriculum by their respective schools. Setting Public/private French and English high schools in Montreal (Canada). Participants All grade 7 students (12-13 years old) will be invited to participate. High-risk youth will be identified as those scoring one standard deviation or more above the school mean on one of the four personality subscales of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (40-45% youth). Measurements Self-reported substance use and mental health symptoms and cognitive functioning measured annually throughout 5 years. Primary outcomes are the onset of substance use disorders at 4 years post-intervention (year 5). Secondary intermediate outcomes are the onset of alcohol and substance use 2 years post-intervention and neuropsychological functions; namely, the protective effects of substance use prevention on cognitive functions generally, and executive functions and reward sensitivity specifically. Conclusion This longitudinal, cluster-randomized controlled trial will investigate the impact of a brief personality-targeted intervention program on reducing the onset of addiction 4 years-post intervention. Results will tease apart the developmental sequences of uptake and growth in substance use and cognitive development in adolescence using developmentally sensitive neuropsychological measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article on "Characteristics of Methylphenidate in a University Student Sample," by Sean Barrett and others.

The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) is based on a model of personality risk for substance abuse in which four personality dimensions (hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) are hypothesized to differentially relate to specific patterns of substance use. The current series of studies is a preliminary exploration of the psychometric properties of the SURPS in two populations (undergraduate and high school students). In study 1, an analysis of the internal structure of two versions of the SURPS shows that the abbreviated version best reflects the 4-factor structure. Concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the SURPS is supported by convergent/divergent relationships between the SURPS subscales and other theoretically relevant personality and drug use criterion measures. In Study 2, the factorial structure of the SURPS is confirmed and evidence is provided for its test–retest reliability and validity with respect to measuring personality vulnerability to reinforcement-specific substance use patterns. In Study 3, the SURPS was administered in a more youthful population to test its sensitivity in identifying younger problematic drinkers. The results from the current series of studies demonstrate support for the reliability and construct validity of the SURPS, and suggest that four personality dimensions may be linked to substance-related behavior through different reinforcement processes. This brief assessment tool may have important implications for clinicians and future research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A number of personality traits have been investigated in relation to delinquent behaviour; however, the female offender population has received far less attention than male offenders. In the current study, 32 incarcerated female offenders, and 32 matched female controls were compared on a measure of behavioural activation and behavioural inhibition, as well as on the personality dimensions of hopelessness/introversion, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking. Lifetime abuse and dependence on various psychoactive substances was also investigated. Stimulant abuse/dependence, impulsivity, and sensation seeking were significant independent predictors of incarceration status in a logistic regression analysis. A stimulant use disorder was a partial mediator of the relationship between sensation seeking and incarceration status. These results suggest that, similar to male populations, disinhibited personality traits and drug use are associated with criminal behaviour in women, and may be important targets for intervention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rationale There is evidence to suggest that individual differences in the subjective response to alcohol exist and exaggerated cardiac response to alcohol has been suggested to be a marker of increased sensitivity to the stimulant properties of alcohol. Objectives The present investigation examines the relationship between cardiac reactivity to alcohol measured on the ascending limb of the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) curve and the subjective stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol throughout the BAC curve. Methods The stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol anticipatory to alcohol and during the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC curve were evaluated using the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale in 39 male social drinkers. Results Cardiac response to ethanol measured on the ascending limb of the BAC curve was positively correlated with intoxicated stimulant effects at numerous time points during the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC curve (ps < 0.01). No associations were found between cardiac change following alcohol and alcohol-related sedative effects at any time point. Conclusions Objective and subjective reports of stimulation post-alcohol ingestion may increase risk for problematic drinking. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies 1 and 2 assessed performance on a battery of dorsolateral prefrontal cognitive ability (D-PFCA) tests, personality, psychometric intelligence, and academic performance (AP) in 2 undergraduate samples. In Studies 1 and 2, AP was correlated with D-PFCA (r = .37, p < .01, and r = .33, p < .01. respectively, IQ (r = .24, p < .05, and r = .38, p < .01, respectively), and Conscientiousness (r = .26. p < .05, and r = .37, p < .01, respectively). D-PFCA remained significant in regression analyses controlling for intelligence (or g) and personality. Studies 3 and 4 assessed D-PFCA, personality, and workplace performance among (a) managerial-administrative workers and (b) factory floor workers at a manufacturing company. Prefrontal cognitive ability correlated with supervisor ratings of manager performance at values of r ranging from .42 to .57 (ps < .001), depending on experience, and with factory floor performance at pr = .21 (p = .02). after controlling for experience, age, and education. Conscientiousness correlated with factory floor performance at r = .23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) is a common phenomenon, yet little is known about how various substances are used with one another. In the present study 149 drug-using university students completed structured interviews about their use of various substances. For each substance ever used, participants provided details about the type, order and amount of all substances co-administered during its most recent administration. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis were frequently co-administered with each other and with all other substances. Chi-squared tests revealed that when alcohol was used in combination with any of cannabis, psilocybin, MDMA, cocaine, amphetamine, methylphenidate (ps < 0.01) or LSD (p < 0.05) its initial use preceded the administration of the other substance. Paired samples t-tests revealed that when alcohol was used with cocaine (p < 0.01) or methylphenidate (p < 0.05) it was ingested in greater quantities than when used in their absence. Patterns of cannabis use were not systematically related to other substances administered. Finally, using one-sample t-tests, tobacco use was demonstrated to be increased relative to ‘sober’ smoking rates when used with alcohol, cannabis, psilocybin, MDMA, cocaine, amphetamine (ps < 0.001), LSD (p < 0.01) or methylphenidate (p < 0.05). Results suggest that many substances are routinely used in a SPU context and that the pattern in which a substance is used may be related to other substances co-administered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Only a minority of drug and alcohol users develops a substance use disorder. Previous studies suggest that this differential vulnerability commonly reflects a developmental trajectory characterized by diverse externalizing behaviors. In this study, we examined the relation between child and adolescent externalizing behaviors and adolescent substance use in a prospectively followed Canadian birth cohort, accounting for the temporal sequence of a wide variety of contributing factors. Methods: Two hundred and forty-two adolescents followed since birth (date range: 1996 to 2012) were assessed on externalizing behavior (age 17 months to 16 years), alcohol and cannabis use at age 16, age of alcohol use onset, family history of substance use problems, family functioning (age 11 to 15), sensation seeking (age 16), prenatal substance exposure, socioeconomic status (age 1 to 9), and sex. Results: Age of alcohol use onset was predicted by a family history of substance use problems, externalizing traits from ages 6 to 10 and 11 to 16, sensation seeking at age 16, prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure and family functioning at ages 11 to 15. High frequencies of alcohol and cannabis use at age 16 were both predicted by externalizing traits from ages 11 to 16, a family history of substance use problems and sensation seeking after controlling for other individual, environmental and familial variables. The association between familial substance use problems and substance use during adolescence was partially mediated by externalizing traits from age 11 to 16. Conclusions: The present findings provide prospective evidence for a developmental risk pathway for adolescent substance use, potentially identifying those who could benefit from early interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale:Alcohol-induced heart rate (HR) stimulation during the rising limb of the blood alcohol curve reliably discriminates between individuals at differential risk for alcoholism, and appears to be a potential psychophysiological index of psychomotor stimulation from alcohol. Objectives: Three studies are presented which explore the reliability and convergent and discriminant validity of this alcohol response index. Methods: Young men with and without a multigenerational family history of alcoholism were administered a 1.0 ml/kg dose of 95% USP alcohol. Resting baseline cardiac and subjective measures were assessed before and after alcohol consumption. Results: Study 1 demonstrated that alcohol-induced HR stimulation was significantly and positively related to alcohol-induced changes in mood. Study 2 demonstrated that alcohol-induced HR stimulation was reliable across two alcohol administration sessions (r=0.33–0.66, P<0.01). Study 3 explored the relationship between the proposed index and measures of sensitivity to alcohol previously linked to genetic predisposition to alcoholism. Multiple regression analysis indicated that alcohol-induced HR increase and reduced subjective intoxication (measured using the Subjective High Assessment Scale) were both positively associated with alcohol-induced changes in mood states that have previously been shown to be sensitive to the effects of stimulant drugs and the reinforcing effects of alcohol. Conclusions: Sensitivity to alcohol-induced heart-rate stimulation during the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve may be a useful and informative marker for understanding susceptibility to alcoholism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined whether participants in the study with high average of cognitive functioning would, when intoxicated inhibit aggression to attain monetary rewards. Information on the methods used in the study; Observation that alcohol-induced aggression is not a uniform phenomenon; Indications of the findings of the study.

Thirty nonalcoholic young (18 to 30 years) males with extensive multigenerational family histories of male alcoholism and 29 age-matched, family history-negative controls completed a variety of trait personality questionnaires, participated in a competitive stress task (while sober and alcohol-intoxicated), and were assessed for self-report and laboratory drinking behavior. Low academic achievement, disinhibited personality (as measured by the P Scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire), and sensitivity to alcohol reinforcement were significant and powerful independent predictors of self-report (approximate R2= 0.40, p < 0.0001) and laboratory (approximate R2= 0.20, p < 0.0001) drinking behavior. There seemed to be some specificity with respect to the facets of drinking behavior accounted for by each independent variable: low academic achievement and sensitivity to alcohol reinforcement were more related to quantity of alcohol consumption and frequency of excessive consumption, whereas psychoticism was more related to self-reported negative consequences with alcohol. A cluster analysis on three identified correlates of drinking behavior indicated that the two experimental groups could be more accurately subdivided into three homogeneous types. Multigenerational family history males were disproportionately represented in two of these groups: one characterized by enhanced sensitivity to alcohol reinforcement and the other characterized by high psychoticism scores and alcohol-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated cardiac response to acute alcohol challenge along the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve in two groups of young adult nonalcoholic men with (MFH) and without (FH-) multigenerational family histories of alcoholism, matched for drinking history. BACs and resting heart rate measurements were recorded every 10 min for 3 hr after ingestion of a 1.0 ml/kg dose of 95% USP alcohol at two different rates: one of 20 min (slow drinking) and the other of 5 min (fast drinking). Several analyses of variance were performed for each of the dependent measures [BAC and heart rate change from baseline (HRCH)]. A significant risk × BAC phase interaction emerged from the HRCH analysis, indicating that the MFH group was characterized by a significantly greater increase in resting heart rate along the ascending limb of the BAC curve. A significant risk × BAC phase × rate interaction indicated that, when alcohol was consumed at a faster rate, men with multigenerational family histories of alcoholism demonstrated a greater HRCH, which persisted throughout the BAC curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collected from 95 nonalcoholic men who had either a multigenerational (MFH), unigenerational (UFH), or negative family history (FHN) of alcoholism were subjected to a discriminant function analysis to determine how well a set of variables differentiated between the family history groups. The data-set comprised personality measures (sensation seeking scales, neuroticism, and extroversion), measures of cardiovascular reactivity to unavoidable shock, and measures of the cardiovascular reactivity-dampening effects of alcohol. The discriminant analyses correctly classified 62% of all subjects, 75% of MFH subjects, 47% of UFH subjects, and 63% of FHN subjects. A canonical discriminant function analysis revealed one significant dimension (canonical variable) that differentiated between family history groups. The high density (MFH) family group scored positively on this dimension, while the UFH and FHN groups had negative mean scores on this variable. A MFH of alcoholism was characterized by a pattern of increased sensitivity to the cardiovascular reactivity-dampening effect of alcohol, cardiovascular hyperreactivity to unavoidable shock when sober, and the personality characteristic of experience seeking, which is associated with a desire for novel and unconventional experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study conducted to determine the effects of acute plasma tryptophan manipulation on changes in hostile, anxious and depressive moods in male subjects. Methodology of the study; Relationship between tryptophan manipulation and changes in hostile mood; Comparison between males with high level of hostile trait and low level hostile trait; Relationship between tryptophan and changes in depression.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the existence of an association between alcoholism and antisocial personality (ASP). The present study tested two hypotheses: First, that nonalcoholic men with a muitigenerational familial history (MGH) of alcoholism would play more cards on a card task that has been shown previously to differentiate antisocial populations from normals and, second, that MGH subjects would display more evidence of ASP on two personality questionnaires: The Self-Report Psychopathy scale and the Socialization scale of the California Psychological Inventory. A total of 28 subjects (14 MGH and 14 family history negative for alcoholism [FH-]) were employed in this study. MGH subjects played significantly more cards during the card task than did FH- subjects. However, the two groups did not differ on the ASP questionnaires. The possibility that a subtle frontal-lobe deficit, rather than ASP per se, underlies the poorer performance of the MGH males is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of literature has documented a relation between executive cognitive functioning (ECF) and aggression. ECF encompasses 'higher-order' mental abilities such as attention, planning, organization, abstract reasoning, and self-monitoring. ECF has been defined as the ability to utilize these functions to self-regulate goal-directed behaviour. The prefrontal cortex represents the primary neurological substrate that subserves ECF. Acute alcohol consumption has been shown to disrupt ECF/prefrontal cortical functioning. Literature is reviewed linking ECF/prefrontal cortical functioning, alcohol consumption, and aggressive behaviour. A hypothetical model, based on empirical data, is presented, suggesting that ECF/prefrontal cortical functioning is an underlying aetiological mechanism for the relation between acute alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]