Cognitive preoccupation with drinking and behavioral effects of alcohol as predictors of current consumption patterns.

BACKGROUND: Acute alcohol responses such as tolerance to alcohol-induced motor impairment and heightened sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition are associated with heavier drinking. Additionally, certain cognitive characteristics may also indicate problem-drinking. For example, cognitive and emotional preoccupation (CEP) with alcohol is associated with heavier drinking. However, it is not clear if cognitive markers have value as predicators of heavier drinking beyond that of well-established alcohol response markers. The current study sought to test the predictive potential of CEP in the context of two well-documented alcohol response markers of heavy drinking. METHODS: Data aggregated from three studies comprised a sample of 94 young adult drinkers with no history of alcohol use disorder. Participants' motor coordination (grooved pegboard) and behavioral disinhibition (cued go/no-go) were assessed following consumption of 0.65g/kg alcohol and a placebo. CEP was measured via the Temptation and Restraint Inventory (TRI). RESULTS: Drinkers who expressed both alcohol response markers reported drinking higher doses regardless of their level of CEP. Among drinkers who expressed low sensitivity to both disinhibition and motor impairment, higher CEP was associated with higher typical quantities. Low sensitivity to motor impairment functioned as a standalone marker of heavier drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that a combination of tolerance to motor impairment and high alcohol-induced disinhibition may be sufficient to promote heavier consumption even in the absence of cognitive markers associated with problem drinking. Results also suggest that cognitive characteristics may drive early drinking and contribute to the development of tolerance to acute alcohol effects.

Heightened motor impairment as a protective factor against heavy drinking in individuals with high alcohol-induced disinhibition.

BACKGROUND: Behavioral disinhibition and motor impairment are both acutely elevated following alcohol consumption, and individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol-induced increases in these effects are associated with drinking habits. Specifically, high alcohol-induced disinhibition and low motor impairment have been identified as separate markers for alcohol-related problems. This study tested the degree to which alcohol-induced disinhibition and motor impairment jointly predict heavy drinking. We hypothesized that heavier drinkers would exhibit a combination of high sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition and low sensitivity to its motor impairing effect. METHODS: Data from three studies were aggregated to comprise a sample of 96 young adults. Participants' motor coordination (grooved pegboard) and behavioral disinhibition (cued go/no-go) were assessed following consumption of 0.65 g/kg alcohol and a placebo during separate sessions. RESULTS: As BAC was ascending, alcohol increased motor impairment and disinhibition compared to placebo. Combined effects at this time of alcohol on motor impairment and disinhibition predicted typical drinking habits. Specifically, a combination of high sensitivity to alcohol's disinhibiting effect and low sensitivity to its motor impairing effect was associated with heavy drinking. As BAC was descending, only reduced sensitivity to motor impairment remained as a predictor of heavy drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that although motor impairment following alcohol consumption is associated with certain negative outcomes (e.g., increased risk for physical injury and motor vehicle accidents), such heightened motor impairment from alcohol may actually serve as a protective factor against the excessive drinking that can accompany the disinhibiting effect of alcohol.

"Sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol: The role of trait impulsivity and sex differences": Clarification.

Reports a clarification to "Sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol: The role of trait impulsivity and sex differences" by Holley C. Allen, Michael J. Wesley, Jessica Weafer and Mark T. Fillmore (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Advanced Online Publication, May 05, 2022, np). In the original article, simultaneous linear regression analyses examined the role of sex and trait impulsivity differences in participants' unintoxicated level of behavioral impulsivity and sensitivity to alcohol-induced increases in disinhibition. High levels of trait impulsivity were associated with higher unintoxicated disinhibition; however, no sex difference in this relationship was obtained. Similarly, high attention impulsivity was associated with elevated unintoxicated disinhibition, but no sex difference in this relationship was obtained. It is likely that the inclusion of participants with ADHD in the original analyses disproportionately accounted for the sex differences initially obtained. This reanalysis suggests that behavioral disinhibition serves as a broad indicator of trait impulsivity in both men and women. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2022-58551-001). OBJECTIVE: Higher trait impulsivity is associated with more impulsive responding on certain behavioral measures of disinhibition. Additionally, behavioral disinhibition is acutely elevated following alcohol consumption. The present study examined the possibility that trait impulsivity may predict individual differences in sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol. Specifically, the present study tested the hypothesis that those with elevated trait impulsivity also experience heightened sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol, which might further compound their tendency toward impulsive action. METHOD: To test this hypothesis, data from six studies were aggregated to comprise a sample of 190 young adults. Participants completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and behavioral disinhibition was assessed using a cued go/no-go task following consumption of 0.65 g/kg alcohol and a placebo. RESULTS: Alcohol increased disinhibition overall, but higher impulsivity did not predict increased sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition. In men, higher levels of trait impulsivity predicted heightened disinhibition in the unintoxicated state following placebo, but this relationship was not present in women. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest significant sex differences in the relationship between trait impulsivity and disinhibition. This sex difference may explain inconsistent research findings in studies assessing links between trait and behavioral measures of impulsivity. The data also point to trait impulsivity and sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition as independent constructs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol: The role of trait impulsivity and sex differences.

[Clarification Notice: A clarification for this article was reported online in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors on Aug 18 2022 (see record 2022-92429-001). In the original article, simultaneous linear regression analyses examined the role of sex and trait impulsivity differences in participants' unintoxicated level of behavioral impulsivity and sensitivity to alcohol-induced increases in disinhibition. High levels of trait impulsivity were associated with higher unintoxicated disinhibition; however, no sex difference in this relationship was obtained. Similarly, high attention impulsivity was associated with elevated unintoxicated disinhibition, but no sex difference in this relationship was obtained. It is likely that the inclusion of participants with ADHD in the original analyses disproportionately accounted for the sex differences initially obtained. This reanalysis suggests that behavioral disinhibition serves as a broad indicator of trait impulsivity in both men and women.] Objective: Higher trait impulsivity is associated with more impulsive responding on certain behavioral measures of disinhibition. Additionally, behavioral disinhibition is acutely elevated following alcohol consumption. The present study examined the possibility that trait impulsivity may predict individual differences in sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol. Specifically, the present study tested the hypothesis that those with elevated trait impulsivity also experience heightened sensitivity to the disinhibiting effect of alcohol, which might further compound their tendency toward impulsive action. METHOD: To test this hypothesis, data from six studies were aggregated to comprise a sample of 190 young adults. Participants completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and behavioral disinhibition was assessed using a cued go/no-go task following consumption of 0.65 g/kg alcohol and a placebo. RESULTS: Alcohol increased disinhibition overall, but higher impulsivity did not predict increased sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition. In men, higher levels of trait impulsivity predicted heightened disinhibition in the unintoxicated state following placebo, but this relationship was not present in women. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest significant sex differences in the relationship between trait impulsivity and disinhibition. This sex difference may explain inconsistent research findings in studies assessing links between trait and behavioral measures of impulsivity. The data also point to trait impulsivity and sensitivity to alcohol-induced disinhibition as independent constructs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Acute rewarding and disinhibiting effects of alcohol as indicators of drinking habits.

RATIONALE: Laboratory studies have reliably shown that heightened sensitivity to the rewarding effects of alcohol is associated with heavier drinking patterns. More recently, there has been research to suggest that heightened sensitivity to the disinhibiting effects of alcohol might also contribute to drinking habits. Most research on the acute effects of alcohol has focused on drinking magnitudes averaged across participants with little attention paid to how individual differences influence alcohol abuse potential. In large part, this is due to limited sample sizes in previous laboratory studies. OBJECTIVES: This study overcomes previous limitations by testing the degree to which individual differences in acute sensitivity and tolerance to the rewarding and disinhibiting effects of alcohol relate to drinking behavior in a large sample size. METHODS: Data from six laboratory studies were aggregated to comprise a sample of 181 adults. Participants' level of "liking" (the effects of alcohol) and disinhibition were assessed following 0.65 g/kg alcohol once during the ascending limb of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve and again at the same BAC during the descending limb of the curve. The measures were also assessed following placebo. RESULTS: Alcohol increased ratings of liking and behavioral disinhibition. Heavier drinking was associated with heightened sensitivity to liking on the ascending limb. Additionally, those who showed reduced acute tolerance to both disinhibition and liking were also heavier drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that individual variability in liking the effects of alcohol and persistent disinhibition are key indicators of drinking habits.

The impact of co-occurring opioid misuse and PTSD on response inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and opioid misuse are commonly co-occurring disorders. Both disorders are associated with deficits in response inhibition; however, these associations have not considered their comorbidity. Response inhibition has not been examined in a sample with comorbid PTSD and opioid misuse. The present study examined the effect of PTSD symptom severity on response inhibition in current and past opioid misusers. METHODS: Participants were currently (used within the last month) misusing opioids (56.6%) or in recovery (43.4%). All participants met DSM 5 criteria for PTSD. Response inhibition was measured with the stop signal task. RESULTS: Response inhibition was associated with increased PTSD symptom severity for those in recovery but not among current users. Additionally, across both groups, there were deficits in response inhibition when withholding automatic responses for a threatening stimulus compared to a neutral stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD Symptoms may exert a stronger effect on response inhibition among those in recovery as opposed to those who are actively using opioids.

The Moderating Effect of Childhood Maltreatment on the Relations Among PTSD Symptoms, Positive Urgency, and Negative Urgency.

Childhood maltreatment increases the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid substance use disorder (SUD). One pathway by which this occurs is through impaired emotion regulation. Past research has shown that negative urgency, a deficit in the regulation of negative emotions, is strongly related to PTSD in those with comorbid SUD. However, there is minimal research on the relation between positive urgency and PTSD in those with comorbid SUD. The current study investigated the association between childhood maltreatment, positive urgency, negative urgency, and PTSD symptoms among those with SUD. Results suggested that PTSD was associated with negative urgency and positive urgency overall. Childhood maltreatment did not moderate the association between negative urgency and PTSD. Childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse moderated the relation between positive urgency and PTSD (ΔR2 = .04 to .10). The association between PTSD and positive urgency was only significant at lower levels of emotional abuse and neglect. Future research should further examine the processing of positive emotions in those with PTSD and comorbid SUD. Findings might inform clinical interventions among populations exposed to childhood maltreatment to reduce or prevent the development of psychopathology.

The intervening role of urgency on the association between childhood maltreatment, PTSD, and substance-related problems.

A range of risk factors lead to opioid use and substance-related problems (SRP) including childhood maltreatment, elevated impulsivity, and psychopathology. These constructs are highly interrelated such that childhood maltreatment is associated with elevated impulsivity and trauma-related psychopathology such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and impulsivity-particularly urgency-and PTSD are related. Prior work has examined the association between these constructs and substance-related problems independently and it is unclear how these multi-faceted constructs (i.e., maltreatment types and positive and negative urgency) are associated with one another and SRP. The current study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relations among childhood maltreatment, trait urgency, PTSD symptoms, and SRP in a sample of individuals with a history of opioid use. An initial model that included paths from each type of childhood maltreatment, positive and negative urgency, PTSD and SRP did not fit the data well. A pruned model with excellent fit was identified that suggested emotional abuse, positive urgency, and negative urgency were directly related to PTSD symptoms and only PTSD symptoms were directly related to SRP. Furthermore, significant indirect effects suggested that emotional abuse and negative urgency were related to SRP via PTSD symptom severity. These results suggest that PTSD plays an important role in the severity of SRP.