bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Timing Accuracy and Variability in Children With Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol
Authors: Wass Tara S. , Simmons Roger W. , Thomas Jennifer D. , Riley Edward P. 
Published: April 2006

Background Prenatal exposure to alcohol (prenatal alcohol exposure) is associated with gross and fine motor skill dysfunction. The present study examined performance on two types of timing tasks to determine the extent to which prenatal alcohol exposure affects perception, movement planning, and movement execution during tasks that require temporal processing.Methods Fourteen children with confirmed heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and 22 control children (aged 5–10 years) completed two timing tasks: a coincident‐anticipation timing task that primarily assessed central processing, and a movement‐speed timing task that evaluated the motor component of temporal processing. Absolute error, signed error, and variability of the participant's signed error were the dependent variables.Results For both timing tasks, children with prenatal alcohol exposure were significantly less accurate and more variable than control children, indicating that both the sensory‐perceptual and motor components of temporal processing were disrupted in alcohol‐exposed children.Conclusions Alcohol‐exposed children had difficulty producing accurate and consistent motor responses when intercepting a moving target or moving through a spatial target in a specified amount of time. Disruptions in these motor timing behaviors may be indicative of alcohol‐related cerebellar or basal ganglia damage.
In Vitro Exposure to Malondialdehyde‐Acetaldehyde Adducted Protein Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Viability
Authors: Willis Monte S. , Klassen Lynell W. , Tuma Dean J. , Sorrell Michael F. , Thiele Geoffrey M. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Circulating antibodies against malondialdehyde‐acetaldehyde (MAA) haptenated proteins are increased significantly in patients with alcohol‐induced cirrhosis and hepatitis and are associated with severity of liver damage. Additionally, MAA haptenated proteins are highly immunogenic without the use of adjuvant and have been suggested to induce autoreactive responses. The mechanism of this immunogenicity is currently unknown but may be mediated by cell death in a similar manner as other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, myositis, and Sjögren's disease.Methods: Antigen‐presenting cells, lymphocytes, and hepatocytes were exposed to different levels of MAA haptenated hen egg lysozyme and assessed by [3H]thymidine incorporation and (3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) conversion for viability.Results: The cells investigated in this study were those that potentially may be involved in the development of autoimmune liver damage; they include antigen‐presenting cells, lymphocytes, and cells of the liver itself. Each cell type was found to be sensitive to MAA haptenated protein‐induced cell death at levels between 690 μM (10 μg/ml) and 6.9 mM (100 μg/ml), which may be found locally after chronic ethanol consumption. Antigen‐presenting cells (macrophage and B cells) were found to be activated at concentrations just under those levels associated with cell death.Conclusions: A dose response to MAA haptenated protein‐induced cell death is seen in antigen‐presenting cells, lymphocytes, and hepatocytes in vitro. Recent reports have associated both apoptotic and necrotic cell death with the development of autoimmune disease; thus, it is possible that this may be one mechanism by which in vivo immunogenicity is mediated by aldehyde haptenated proteins.
Bidirectional Modulation of Spatial Working Memory by Ethanol
Authors: Rossetti Zvani L. , Carboni Sonia , Stancampiano Roberto , Sori Pierpaolo , Pepeu Giancarlo , Fadda Fabio 
Published: April 2006

Background: It is common knowledge that ethanol causes cognitive and memory impairments. Although these deficits are attributed to its central depressant properties, ethanol has biphasic effects and at low doses can produce excitatory actions.Methods: Here we examined whether ethanol could have biphasic effects on performance in a delayed alternation task in a T‐maze, a behavioral test of working memory.Results: A dose‐response study showed that intermediate doses of ethanol (1 g/kg) were associated with impairments of working memory in rats, as assessed at short intertrial intervals (10 sec). In contrast, at longer delays (120 sec), when the delayed alternation performance was reduced markedly in controls, a lower dose of ethanol (0.5 g/kg) significantly improved working memory.Conclusions: These results demonstrate a dose‐dependent, bidirectional effect of ethanol on working memory and implicate the prefrontal cortex, the site of working memory function, as a target of ethanol action. The cognitive improvements caused by low, excitatory doses of ethanol may be perceived as rewarding and could have relevance for chronic ethanol consumption in humans.
Injury Among Detoxification Patients: Alcohol Users’ Greater Risk
Authors: Rees Vaughan W. , Horton Nicholas J. , Hingson Ralph W. , Saitz Richard , Samet Jeffrey H. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Little information exists about serious injury in alcohol or drug abusers who seek detoxification. This study examined injury prevalence, and the impact of alcohol use on injury, among alcohol‐ and drug‐dependent persons.Method: We enrolled patients at a detoxification unit into a prospective cohort study and performed follow‐up interviews to determine the prevalence of injury. Baseline and follow‐up (6, 12, 18, and 24 month) data were examined separately by using multivariate logistic regression to determine factors associated with self‐reported episodes of serious injury. The main independent variable was self‐reported first and second substances of choice at admission: alcohol only, drug only, or both.Results: Overall, 24% of the 470 subjects reported at least one instance of serious injury over the 6‐month period before detoxification. Similarly, approximately 20% of subjects had serious injury during each 6‐month follow‐up period. Injury in the past 6 months was highest among the 63% of subjects who reported alcohol as a drug of choice (28–29% vs. 16% for drug only), even after we controlled for potential confounders. Analysis of 2‐year follow‐up data revealed a similar association, after we controlled for baseline injury and alcohol consumption.Conclusions: Injury is a serious problem for a substantial proportion of patients who undergo detoxification, particularly those with alcohol dependence. This marked risk for serious injury persisted for 24 months after detoxification. Patients at detoxification, particularly those with alcohol problems, represent a high‐risk population for injury that may benefit from interventions to reduce these preventable complications.
Beverage Choice Among Native American and African American Urban Women
Authors: Graves Karen , Kaskutas Lee Ann 
Published: April 2006

Background: Little is known about beverage preference, especially among understudied urban minority populations. Also, most studies do not differentiate between beer and malt liquor or among wine, wine coolers, and fortified wine. This article examines whether ethnicity or drinking frequency are associated with beverage choice, considering six types of alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, spirits, malt liquor, fortified wine, and wine coolers.Methods: Data were analyzed from Native American (n= 70) and African American (n= 129) urban pregnant women who reported drinking in the 12 months before an index pregnancy. A small comparison group of white women (n= 22) was included. Women were queried about their consumption of each of six beverage types during the 12 months before pregnancy.Results: The alcoholic beverage most often used, adjusted for other beverages consumed, was beer, followed in order by spirits, wine coolers, malt liquor, wine, and fortified wine. The Native American women preferred beer, which accounted for one third of total intake. In contrast, malt liquor and spirits each accounted for approximately a quarter of intake among African Americans. Compared with other drinkers, women who drank daily were significantly more likely to choose the beer and wine products with a higher alcohol content. In general, these bivariate results were borne out by multivariate analyses that controlled for age, marital status, and education.Conclusions: These findings suggest that when accuracy is desired, alcohol studies focusing on urban African American samples (and, to a lessor degree, Native American respondents) should consider not just beer, wine, and spirits consumption, but also stronger beer products, such as malt liquor; stronger wine products, such as fortified wine; and sweeter products, such as wine coolers.
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Factor Structure in an Adolescent Emergency Department Sample
Authors: Chung Tammy , Colby Suzanne M. , Barnett Nancy P. , Monti Peter M. 
Published: April 2006

Background: This study examined whether the factor structure of a modified version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) represented the three intended conceptual domains of consumption, dependence symptoms, and alcohol‐related consequences in an adolescent sample. Additionally, the utility of factor‐specific cut scores in identifying patients with DSM‐IV alcohol diagnoses was investigated.Methods: Adolescents treated for an injury in an emergency department and who reported alcohol use in the last year (n= 173; 57% male, 72% white) constituted the study sample. A modified version of the AUDIT and the alcohol section of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children were administered. The AUDIT's factor structure was determined by confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory principal components analysis. Factor‐specific cut scores that identified adolescents with a DSM‐IV alcohol diagnosis were determined by using receiver operating characteristic analysis.Results: A two‐factor model representing consumption and dependence/consequences provided the best fit to the data. A cut score of 3 on the consumption factor and a cut score of 1 on the dependence/consequences factor demonstrated optimal performance in identifying patients with alcohol diagnoses. The consumption factor had better overall performance compared with the dependence/consequences factor, and it had similar overall performance compared with the AUDIT total score.Conclusions: The AUDIT comprised two correlated factors: consumption and dependence/consequences. The better performance of the consumption factor in detecting adolescents with DSM‐IV alcohol diagnoses suggests the utility of including consumption items in brief alcohol screens used with adolescents. Results also indicate the need to identify developmentally appropriate alcohol‐related problems to enhance screening performance among adolescents.
Altered EEG Responses to Ethanol in Adult Rats Exposed to Ethanol During Adolescence
Authors: Slawecki Craig J. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Adolescent ethanol (EtOH) exposure is a significant health concern due to the potential long‐term effects of EtOH on the developing brain. However, few studies have assessed how exposure to EtOH during adolescence influences the response of adults to EtOH after a long period of withdrawal. This study was designed to assess long‐term changes in EEG activity after EtOH challenge in adult rats exposed to EtOH during adolescence.Methods: Male Sprague Dawley® rats (n= 24) were exposed to EtOH vapor for 5 days (12 hr/day) between postnatal days 35 and 40. After maturing to adulthood, rats were implanted with cortical, amygdalar, and hippocampal electrodes. Then EEG activity after EtOH challenge (0.0–1.5 g/kg) was assessed.Results: There were no EEG differences between groups under baseline or vehicle conditions, but EtOH did have differential behavioral and electrophysiological effects when adolescent ethanol‐exposed rats were compared with controls. After 1.5 g/kg EtOH, ethanol‐exposed rats displayed decreased behavioral indexes of intoxication. In addition, EtOH significantly increased 4 to 6 Hz power in the hippocampus and parietal cortex of the control group but had no effect on 4 to 6 Hz power in the ethanol‐exposed group in either of these brain regions. EtOH produced maximal increases in cortical EEG variability in control rats after 1.5 g/kg EtOH but produced maximal increases in cortical EEG variability in ethanol‐exposed rats after 1.0 g/kg EtOH. As a result, ethanol‐induced increases in EEG variability after 1.5 g/kg ethanol were blunted in the ethanol‐exposed group compared with the control group.Conclusions: These data demonstrate persistent and brain‐region‐specific changes in the neurobehavioral effects of acute EtOH challenge in adult rats exposed to EtOH during adolescence in the absence of baseline neurophysiological differences. Decreased EEG responses to high doses of EtOH combined with decreased behavioral measures of intoxication suggest that adolescent ethanol exposure produces long‐lasting tolerance to the sedative effects of ethanol.
Auditory and Visual Sustained Attention in Adolescents Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol
Authors: Coles Claire D. , Platzman Kathleen A. , Lynch Mary Ellen , Freides David 
Published: April 2006

Background: Sustained attention problems and impulsivity are reported in association with prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol syndrome, but research in this area is limited and contradictory.Methods: Auditory and visual sustained attention were investigated in 265 low‐income, predominantly African‐American, adolescents (mean age, 15.12 years; SD, 0.92). Included were 53 unexposed controls and 128 exposed to alcohol and other drugs prenatally, with 46 of these exhibiting dysmorphic features and growth retardation, as well as a special‐education contrast group (n= 84). Sustained attention was measured with “AK” subtests from a commercially available Continuous Performance Task program. Outcomes included total correct, total errors, omissions, commissions, preservations, hit rate, false alarms, reaction time, and response sensitivity (d′). A repeated‐measures multivariate analysis of variance procedure was used with the exposure group (four groups) as the independent variable and presentation mode (visual or auditory) and trial block (four blocks) as within‐subject repeated measures.Results: There was an interaction of group with presentation mode for total correct, errors, error type, hit rate, and d′. Most groups processed visual information more effectively than auditory information. In contrast, dysmorphic adolescents performed as effectively when presented with auditory stimuli but were less efficient in processing visual information. Significantly higher error rates, particularly omission errors [F (3,261) = 7.16;p < 0.000], as well as lower d′ [F (3,261) = 5.77;p < 0.001], were noted in this group.Conclusions: These results suggest that there may be specific patterns to the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on cognitive performance that can be identified during adolescence. In this study of sustained attention, processing in the visual modality was more affected than that in the auditory modality. Deficits in visual processing seemed to result from insensitivity to target stimuli.
Central Nervous System Mechanisms in Alcohol Relapse
Authors: McBride W. J. , Le A.‐D. , Noronha A. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Alcohol relapse is a major problem in the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Understanding the long‐term neuronal alterations that promote relapse of alcohol drinking is critical for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat alcoholism and alcohol abuse. The major objectives of this workshop were to present recent findings, by using rodent models, on behavioral and neurobiological factors that may underlie alcohol relapse and the results of clinical and pharmacological treatment strategies for preventing relapse.Methods: Prolonged ethanol drinking and repeated periods of alcohol deprivation were studied in nonselected rats and in rats selectively bred for high alcohol preference (P rat). The expression of a robust alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) was used as a model for alcohol relapse in rodents. Operant techniques were used to examine responding for ethanol after deprivation in both rats and C57BL/6J mice. Environmental cues and stress were used to assess their effects on reinstatement of alcohol responding. Microdialysis and [14C]‐2‐deoxyglucose techniques were used to examine neuronal alterations associated with alcohol relapse.Results: Prolonged free‐choice ethanol drinking followed by deprivation produced an ADE in both stock and P rats. These rats demonstrated loss of control on reinstatement after chronic drinking and after prolonged deprivation. Acamprosate and naltrexone effectively reduced the ADE in stock rats. Stress reinstated operant responding for alcohol, and rats trained to associate a cue with ethanol presentation increased responding on the ethanol‐associated lever in the absence of ethanol. After repeated deprivations, P rats shifted their preference toward drinking higher concentrations of ethanol, which increased the magnitude and duration of the ADE. Stock rats also shifted their preference toward solutions with higher ethanol concentrations and demonstrated a loss of control after prolonged ethanol drinking and deprivation. Long‐lasting alterations in neuronal activity, serotonin‐3 receptor function, and dopamine neurotransmission within the mesolimbic system were evident after chronic drinking that followed a prolonged deprivation period.Conclusions: The ADE is a useful model for studying alcohol relapse in both rats and mice. The potential validity of this model is supported by the findings that acamprosate and naltrexone are effective in preventing the ADE in rodents, and both compounds have gained recognition for their therapeutic effects in clinical populations. Genetics, stress, and environmental cues are all important factors that influence alcohol relapse. Long‐term alterations in neuronal activity within the mesolimbic system, which possibly involve dopamine and serotonin, may underlie alcohol relapse.
Alcohol‐Related ERP Changes Recorded From Different Modalities: A Topographic Analysis
Authors: Cohen Howard L. , Ji Jun , Chorlian David B. , Begleiter Henri , Porjesz Bernice 
Published: April 2006

Background:There is controversy in the literature regarding the relationship between event‐related‐potential (ERP) abnormalities in abstinent alcoholics and stimulus‐processing modality (i.e., visual versus auditory). The first purpose of this study was to address questions about whether ERP abnormalities observed in alcoholics are modality specific. The second purpose was to employ current source density (CSD) analyses to investigate topographic differences between alcoholics and controls within each modality.Methods:Data were collected from 30 sober male alcoholics and 39 normal males in a typical auditory oddball task and in a visual oddball paradigm with novel stimuli, with an extensive set of 61 scalp electrodes. Visual and quantitative assessment of CSD maps as well as analyses of variances on both raw and normalized ERP data were performed.Results:Positive findings were limited to the N1 and P3 components. The visual N1 amplitude was significantly smaller in alcoholics than in controls at the parietal region; no significant group differences in N1 were found in the auditory modality. Alcoholics had widespread reductions in P3 amplitudes in both modalities compared with controls, although in the frontal region this effect was partially due to the influence of age. These P3 reductions in alcoholics were statistically more pronounced in the posterior compared with the anterior regions regardless of modality. Topographically, sources in CSD maps were weaker in alcoholics than in controls; in the frontal and central regions, the weakness was more pronounced in the auditory modality but, in parietal and occipital regions, it was more pronounced in the visual modality.Conclusions:The results suggest that, in abstinent alcoholics, abnormalities in auditory ERPs may be localized to more anterior sources, while abnormalities in visual ERPs may be localized to more posterior sources. ERP topographic features are more sensitive than amplitude measurements in assessing alcoholic‐related modality effects.
Mecamylamine Modifies the Pharmacokinetics and Reinforcing Effects of Alcohol
Authors: Blomqvist Ola , Hernandez‐Avila Carlos A. , Van Kirk Jeffrey , Rose Jed E. , Kranzler Henry R. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Central nicotinic cholinergic receptors modify alcohol‐induced mesolimbic dopamine activation, which seems to be important in the reinforcing properties of alcohol. Consistent with this model, acute administration to rats of the tertiary nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine blocks both alcohol consumption and alcohol‐induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that, during the ascending limb of the blood alcohol concentration curve, mecamylamine would reduce the stimulating and pleasurable effects of an intoxicating dose of alcohol in humans.Methods: Ten female and 10 male volunteers with no history of alcohol or substance use disorders, including nicotine dependence, completed the study. During two laboratory sessions, subjects consumed three aliquots of an alcohol‐containing drink, with a total ethanol content of 0.7 g/kg (in women) or 0.8 g/kg (in men), over a 30‐min period. Two hours before the first drink, subjects were pretreated with mecamylamine or placebo, with the order of sessions counterbalanced. Primary outcome measures included the Drug Effect Questionnaire, the central stimulation subscale of the Alcohol Sensation Scale, and the stimulant subscale of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale. Breath alcohol level (BAL) was examined to identify the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve and to assess pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and mecamylamine.Results: Significant effects of time, study drug, and their interaction were observed. Compared with placebo, mecamylamine reduced BAL. After controlling for BAL at each time point, mecamylamine also reduced the Drug Effect Questionnaire and Alcohol Sensation Scale stimulant subscale scores, with a trend for a similar effect on the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale score.Conclusions: Mecamylamine seems to modify both the pharmacokinetic profile of alcohol and the rewarding effects of alcohol in healthy volunteers.
Paternal Alcohol Exposure Affects Sperm Cytosine Methyltransferase Messenger RNA Levels
Authors: Bielawski Dawn M. , Zaher Fadi M. , Svinarich David M. , Abel Ernest L. 
Published: April 2006

Background: Although paternal alcohol exposure has been shown to affect the growth and behavior of offspring, the mechanisms underlying these effects still remain to be elucidated. This study examines one possible mechanism, namely, altered genomic imprinting as reflected by changes in sperm cytosine methyltransferase messenger RNA (mRNA) levels.Methods: Male rats were treated with alcohol for 9 weeks before breeding. Resulting fetuses were counted and weighed, and paternal sperm was examined for changes in cytosine methyltransferase mRNA levels.Results: Alcohol did not affect mating, fecundity, or litter size, but it did result in significantly decreased mean fetal weight, increased fetal runt incidence in offspring, and decreased cytosine methyltransferase mRNA levels in paternal sperm, compared with pair‐fed and ad libitum controls.Conclusions: Alcohol‐induced reductions in cytosine methyltransferase mRNA levels may reflect altered genomic imprinting caused by reduced DNA methylation, which, in turn, may lead to the expression of normally silent paternal alleles and may be a mechanism for paternal alcohol effects.