Dataset Information

Alcohol-induced place conditioning in moderate social drinkers.

ABSTRACT: To test whether non-dependent drinkers show place preference for a location paired with alcohol, and to test if the amount of time spent in the alcohol-paired location is related to self-reported subjective alcohol effects experienced in that environment.Two groups of subjects completed six conditioning sessions: three with alcohol (0.8 g/kg) and three without alcohol. Individuals were assigned randomly to two groups, paired and unpaired, in a 2 : 1 ratio. The paired group (n = 78) received alcohol in one testing room and no-alcohol in another testing room (biased assignment). The unpaired group (n = 30) received alcohol and no-alcohol in each testing room.Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA (single site).Healthy male and female social drinkers (n = 108) aged 21-40 years participated in the study (consisting of 10 separate laboratory visits) between March 2012 and August 2014 (an average of 36 separate subject visits per month).The primary outcome measure was the pre- to post-conditioning change in the percentage of time spent in the least preferred room (obtained during drug-free exploration tests conducted at separate visits before and after the six conditioning sessions were completed). Secondary measures included self-reported subjective mood and drug effects obtained during the conditioning sessions.The groups differed in the change in the percentage of time spent in the initially least preferred room, from pre- to post-conditioning; paired group = 11.0%, unpaired group = -1.4%, mean difference = 12.4%, 95% confidence interval = 1.9-23.0, P = 0.02. The change in the percentage of time spent in the least-preferred room was related to the self-reported sedative effects of alcohol during conditioning sessions among paired group participants only.Non-dependent consumers of alcohol appear to develop a behavioral preference for locations paired with alcohol consumption, more so for those who experience sedative effects from alcohol in those locations.

SUBMITTER: Childs E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5226878 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alcohol-induced place conditioning in moderate social drinkers.

Childs Emma E de Wit Harriet H

Addiction (Abingdon, England) 20160912 12

<h4>Aims</h4>To test whether non-dependent drinkers show place preference for a location paired with alcohol, and to test if the amount of time spent in the alcohol-paired location is related to self-reported subjective alcohol effects experienced in that environment.<h4>Design</h4>Two groups of subjects completed six conditioning sessions: three with alcohol (0.8 g/kg) and three without alcohol. Individuals were assigned randomly to two groups, paired and unpaired, in a 2 : 1 ratio. The paired ...[more]

PMID: 27447940

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Project description:IntroductionAlcohol is among the most commonly used psychoactive drugs, yet it can produce markedly different subjective effects in different people. Certain effects, including both heightened stimulatory effects and lesser sedative effects, are thought to predict repeated or excessive use. However, we do not fully understand the nature of these individual differences or their relationships to alcohol consumption. This controlled laboratory study examined subjective and physiologic responses to a moderate dose of alcohol in social drinkers in relation to the subjects' decision to consume alcohol.MethodsHealthy adult volunteers (N = 95) participated in a 5-session double-blind alcohol choice study. On the first 4 sessions, they received alcohol (0.8 g/kg) and placebo in alternating order, and on the fifth session, they chose and consumed whichever of the 2 they preferred. During each session, participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) questionnaires and had their vitals recorded every 30 minutes. We compared subjective and physiologic response to alcohol during the sampling sessions in participants who chose alcohol or placebo on session 5.ResultsOf the 95 participants, 55 chose alcohol (choosers) and 40 chose placebo (nonchoosers). In the full sample, alcohol produced its expected effects (e.g., increased friendliness, elation, and vigor (POMS), and stimulation and sedation (BAES)). The chooser and nonchooser groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, blood alcohol levels, or cardiovascular measures. However, the choosers experienced greater alcohol-induced increases in positive mood (POMS) and liked the drug more, whereas the nonchoosers experienced greater anger, anxiety (POMS), and sedation (BAES) after alcohol.ConclusionBoth greater positive mood effects and lesser sedative effects after alcohol predicted preference under controlled conditions, suggesting that both factors can predict future consumption of alcohol.

Project description:RationaleChronic alcohol misuse can escalate into alcohol use disorder (AUD). The causal mechanisms through which recreational social drinking develops into compulsive uncontrolled alcohol misuse are multifaceted. For example, stress is an important risk factor that influences alcohol craving in both healthy and addicted individuals. In addition, those that are high in impulsivity/risk taking drink more and are at greater risk of developing addiction. At present, however, it is not possible accurately to predict those at risk of escalation in alcohol use, or of developing AUD.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate how underlying physiological and personality traits affect stress-induced craving for, and consumption of, alcohol, in a sample of social drinkers. The primary hypothesis was that impulsivity/risk-taking would modulate stress-induced alcohol craving and consumption.MethodsThirty-nine participants (22 male and 17 female; mean age = 23.92 years [SD = 4.90]) were randomly allocated to 'stress' and 'no-stress' groups; in the stress group, participants took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Participants completed several questionnaires and computer tasks in order to assess prior alcohol use, impulsivity/risk-taking, stress-reactivity, craving and physiological biomarkers of stress. Finally, participants completed a voluntary drinking task, in which increasing numbers of presses on a computer keyboard were reinforced with 5-ml shots of 37% ABV vodka (plus mixer).ResultsParticipants exposed to the TSST showed an increase in craving following the stressor. Several factors predicted voluntary drinking, including risky decision making, slow HR recovery from stress, poor vagal tone during recovery from stress and greater stress reactivity. Surprisingly, we found no correlation between craving and consumption.ConclusionsOur data suggest that variation in physiological stress parameters and poor decision-making abilities increase risk of stress-induced alcohol consumption. This may provide a useful translational framework through which we can further study early predictive markers for the shift between controlled recreational drinking to uncontrolled alcohol misuse, including AUD.

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Alcohol-induced place conditioning in moderate social drinkers.

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Alcohol-induced place conditioning in moderate social drinkers.

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