Anxiety and depression in alcohol use disorder individuals: the role of personality and coping strategies

Comorbidity between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other addictive and psychiatric disorders is highly prevalent and disabling; however, the underlying biological correlates are not fully understood. Leptin is a peptide hormone known for its role in energy homeostasis and food intake. Furthermore, leptin plays a key role in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and of several neurotransmitter systems that regulate emotionality and behavior. However, human studies that have investigated circulating leptin levels in relation to AUD and affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression, are conflicting. Genetic-based analyses of the leptin gene (LEP) and leptin receptor gene (LEPR) have the potential of providing more insight into the potential role of the leptin system in AUD and comorbid psychopathology. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether genotypic variations at LEP and LEPR are associated with measures of alcohol use, nicotine use, anxiety, and depression, all of which represent common comorbidities with AUD. Haplotype association analyses were performed, using data from participants enrolled in screening and natural history protocols at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Analyses were performed separately in European Americans and African Americans due to the variation in haplotype diversity for most genes between these groups. In the European American group, one LEP haplotype (EB2H4) was associated with lower odds of having a current AUD diagnosis, two LEPR haplotypes (EB7H3, EB8H3) were associated with lower cigarette pack years and two LEPR haplotypes (EB7H2, EB8H2) were associated with higher State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) scores. In the African American group, one LEP haplotype (AB2H8) was associated with higher cigarette pack years and one LEP haplotype (AB3H2) was associated with lower Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) scores. Overall, this study found that variations in the leptin and leptin receptor genes are associated with measures of alcohol use, nicotine use, and anxiety. While this preliminary study adds support for a role of the leptin system in AUD and psychopathologies, additional studies are required to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic implications of these findings.

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mTORC and PKCε in Regulation of Alcohol Use Disorder

Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1389557520666200624122325 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (17) ◽

pp. 1696-1708 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Athirah Hanim ◽

Isa Naina Mohamed ◽

Rashidi M. Pakri Mohamed ◽

Srijit Das ◽

Norefrina Shafinaz Md Nor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Potential Role ◽

Synaptic Proteins ◽

Cellular Mechanisms ◽

Kinase C ◽

Protein Kinase C Epsilon ◽

Seeking Behavior

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by compulsive binge alcohol intake, leading to various health and social harms. Protein Kinase C epsilon (PKCε), a specific family of PKC isoenzyme, regulates binge alcohol intake, and potentiates alcohol-related cues. Alcohol via upstream kinases like the mammalian target to rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) or 2 (mTORC2), may affect the activities of PKCε or vice versa in AUD. mTORC2 phosphorylates PKCε at hydrophobic and turn motif, and was recently reported to be associated with alcohol-seeking behavior, suggesting the potential role of mTORC2-PKCε interactions in the pathophysiology of AUD. mTORC1 regulates translation of synaptic proteins involved in alcohol-induced plasticity. Hence, in this article, we aimed to review the molecular composition of mTORC1 and mTORC2, drugs targeting PKCε, mTORC1, and mTORC2 in AUD, upstream regulation of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in AUD and downstream cellular mechanisms of mTORCs in the pathogenesis of AUD.

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Alcohol Use Disorder

10.1093/oso/9780190676001.003.0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Igor Ponomarev

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽

Future Directions ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Early Life Exposures ◽

The Brain ◽

Epigenetic Research

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by clinically significant impairments in health and social function. Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation may provide an attractive explanation for how early life exposures to alcohol contribute to the development of AUD and exert lifelong effects on the brain. This chapter provides a critical discussion of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in AUD etiology and the potential of epigenetic research to improve diagnosis, evaluate risks for alcohol-induced pathologies, and promote development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of AUD. Challenges of the current epigenetic approaches and future directions are also discussed.

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A Developmental Perspective on the Genetic Basis of Alcohol Use Disorder

10.1093/oso/9780190676001.003.0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Elisa M. Trucco ◽

Gabriel L. Schlomer ◽

Brian M. Hicks

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Developmental Perspective ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Intermediate Phenotypes ◽

Problematic Alcohol ◽

Age Related ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

Problematic Alcohol Use

Approximately 48–66% of the variation in alcohol use disorders is heritable. This chapter provides an overview of the genetic influences that contribute to alcohol use disorder within a developmental perspective. Namely, risk for problematic alcohol use is framed as a function of age-related changes in the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors and an end state of developmental processes. This chapter discusses the role of development in the association between genes and the environment on risk for alcohol use disorder. Designs used to identify genetic factors relevant to problematic alcohol use are discussed. Studies examining developmental pathways to alcohol use disorder with a focus on endophenotypes and intermediate phenotypes are reviewed. Finally, areas for further investigation are offered.

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The role of pubertal timing in the link between family history of alcohol use disorder and late adolescent substance use

Drug and Alcohol Dependence ◽

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107955 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 210 ◽

pp. 107955

Author(s):

Alexander S. Weigard ◽

Jillian E. Hardee ◽

Robert A. Zucker ◽

Mary M. Heitzeg ◽

Adriene M. Beltz

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Family History ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Pubertal Timing ◽

Adolescent Substance Use ◽

Late Adolescent ◽

Adolescent Substance ◽

History Of

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Online Gambling Activity, Pay-to-Win Payments, Motivation to Gamble and Coping Strategies as Predictors of Gambling Disorder Among e-sports Bettors

Journal of Gambling Studies ◽

10.1007/s10899-021-10015-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bernadeta Lelonek-Kuleta ◽

Rafał Piotr Bartczuk

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Predictive Model ◽

Gambling Disorder ◽

Online Gambling ◽

Gambling Activity ◽

Psychological Variables ◽

Betting Behavior ◽

Game Session ◽

And Coping

AbstractResearch on esports activity usually captures it from the perspective of involvement in gaming. This study presents the results of the first research in Poland (N = 438) on esports betting (ESB). ESB is compared to other forms of e-gambling and involvement in pay-to-win games. The aim was to build a predictive model of gambling disorder among people betting on esports. A predictive model of gambling disorder based on ordinal regression was built, including sociodemographic variables, involvement in esports betting, involvement in other Internet activities connected to ESB, as well as psychological variables—motivation to gamble and coping strategies. The results showed that gambling disorder among esports bettors is associated with time spent on one game session, placing other forms of online gambling bets once a week or more often, and paying in pay-to-win games. Gambling disorder was also predicted by escape coping strategies and lower engaged strategies as well as financial and coping motivation to bet on esports results. The results show the crucial role of psychological factors (motivation, coping) in the development of esports betting addiction. Esports betting is an activity associated with both gambling and gaming—involvement in both activities explains the development of ESB addiction. There is a need for further research focused on the specificity of esports betting behavior to discover the direction of links among gaming, gambling, and esports gambling.

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