Dimensions of Craving Interact with COMT Genotype to Predict Relapse in Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder Six Months after Treatment

(1) Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with poor medical, psychological, and psychosocial outcomes and approximately 60% of individuals with AUD relapse six months after treatment. Craving is a core aspect of AUD and associated with high risk of relapse. One promising avenue to improve outcomes may be in understanding the relationship between COMT genotype, craving, and treatment outcomes. (2) Methods: To this end, we assessed craving, recent drinking history, and impulsivity in 70 individuals with AUD undergoing a standard course of treatment at a regional Veteran Affairs (VA) medical center. Saliva samples were collected to determine COMT genotype. In this prospective observational study, participants were followed for six months to determine who went on to relapse after treatment. (3) Results: Results revealed a significant interaction between craving and catechol-O-methyltransferse (COMT) genotype in predicting relapse. Post hoc exploratory analyses indicated that Met/Met homozygotes reported the highest levels of craving, and craving was associated with recent drinking history. Among Val/Val homozygotes, who had higher rates of relapse, craving was associated with impulsivity. (4) Conclusions: These associations highlight that specific profiles of psychological and biological factors may be important in understanding which individuals are at highest risk of relapse following treatment. Future studies that build on these findings are warranted.

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Mediating role of childhood emotional abuse on the relationship between severity of ADHD and PTSD symptoms in a sample of male inpatients with alcohol use disorder

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2016.03.049 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 239 ◽

pp. 320-324 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Cuneyt Evren ◽

Gokhan Umut ◽

Muge Bozkurt ◽

Bilge Evren ◽

Ruken Agachanli

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Childhood Emotional Abuse ◽

The Relationship

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The Relationship Among Sleep Quality, the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale, Abstinence Self-efficacy, and Quality of Life with Alcohol Use Disorder in South Korea

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v12n4p69 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 69

Author(s):

EunJu Song

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Stages Of Change ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

The Relationship

Many patients with alcohol use disorder experienced insomnia or sleep disturbances. However, their sleep problems rarely addressed in the treatment process. It may prove beneficial if treatment programs should intend to help prevent the recurrence of alcohol use disorder by solving patients’ sleep-induced problems and accordingly include appropriate sleep interventions. The present study employed a descriptive design and conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the relationship among sleep quality, score on the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES), abstinence self-efficacy, and quality of life in inpatients with alcohol use disorders. Data were collected from June to August 2018, from 117 patients admitted to the psychiatric ward for alcohol-use patients in two mental hospitals in South Korea. Sleep quality was significantly correlated with the SOCRATES score (r = .247, p = .007) and quality of life (r = -.346, p = .001). However, it showed no relationship with abstinence self-efficacy (r = -.066, p = .477). These findings suggest that abstinence programs need to employ a comprehensive approach instead of primarily focusing on maintaining abstinence and cessation of alcohol use. However, both sleep disturbances and alcohol abstinence require patience and prolonged treatment. Thus, it is a challenge to design concrete interventions to address the sleep problems experienced by patients with alcohol use disorder.

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Lifetime drinking history in patients with alcoholic liver disease and patients with alcohol use disorder without liver disease

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1080/00365521.2017.1295466 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 52 (6-7) ◽

pp. 762-767 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Jon Kristinn Nielsen ◽

Sigurdur Olafsson ◽

Ottar M. Bergmann ◽

Valgerdur Runarsdottir ◽

Ingunn Hansdottir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcoholic Liver Disease ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Drinking History

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Hippocampal Subfield Volumes in Abstinent Men and Women with a History of Alcohol Use Disorder

10.1101/715292 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kayle S. Sawyer ◽

Noor Adra ◽

Daniel M. Salz ◽

Maaria I. Kemppainen ◽

Susan M. Ruiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Molecular Layer ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Brain Images ◽

Men And Women ◽

Immediate Memory ◽

Drinking History ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact

AbstractAlcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with abnormalities in hippocampal volumes, but these relationships have not been fully explored with respect to sub-regional volumes, nor in association with individual characteristics such as gender differences, age, and memory. The present study examined the impact of those variables in relation to hippocampal subfield volumes in abstinent men and women with a history of AUD. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 3 Tesla, we obtained brain images from 67 participants (31 women) with AUD and 63 healthy control (NC) participants (30 women) without AUD. We used Freesurfer 6.0 to segment the hippocampus into 12 regions. These were imputed into mixed models to examine the relationships of brain volume with AUD group, gender, age, drinking history, and memory. The AUD group had approximately 5% smaller CA1, hippocampal tail, and molecular layer regions than the NC group. Age was negatively associated with volumes for the AUD group in the hippocampal tail, subiculum, and presubiculum. The relationships for delayed and immediate memory with hippocampal tail volume differed for AUD and NC groups: Higher scores were associated with smaller volumes in the AUD group, but larger volumes in the NC group. Length of sobriety was associated with decreasing CA1 volume in women (0.02% per year) and increasing volume size in men (0.03% per year). These findings confirm and extend evidence that AUD, gender, age, and abstinence differentially impact volumes of component parts of the hippocampus. The course of abstinence on CA1 volume differed for men and women, and the differential relationships of subregional volumes to age and memory could indicate a distinction in the impact of AUD on functions of the hippocampal tail.

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