title: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress in male DUI recidivists.
abstract: Cortisol is a stress hormone mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and a psychobiological marker of genetic risk for alcoholism and other high-risk behavioural characteristics. In previous work with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) recidivists, we uncovered a significant inverse relationship between the frequency of past DUI convictions and salivary cortisol, whose strength surpassed those observed between DUI frequency and measures of alcohol abuse and other DUI-related characteristics. This finding emerged using a methodology not specifically contrived to test this relationship. The goals of this follow-up study were to (a) examine if a standardized stress-induction protocol would produce a significant inverse relationship between cortisol response and number of DUI offences; and (b) clarify whether HPA axis dysregulation could be linked to particular DUI-related behavioural correlates, such as alcohol use severity, sensation seeking, and antisocial features. Thirty male DUI recidivists were recruited as well as 11 male non-DUI drivers as a comparison group. Results indicated an inverse relationship between DUI frequency and cortisol response (r(39)=-0.36, p=0.021), as well as a lower cortisol response in DUI offenders than the comparison group (F(1,39)=5.71, p=0.022). Finally, for recidivists, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that experience seeking (R(2)=0.23, p=0.008), followed by number of cigarettes smoked daily ((Delta)R(2)=0.12, p=0.031), combined to explain 35% of the variance in cortisol (F(2,29)=7.26, p=0.003). These findings indicate that severe recidivism may have psychobiological underpinnings, and that HPA axis dysregulation appears to be a mechanism common to high-risk behaviours including DUI recidivism, sensation seeking, and cigarette smoking.
authors.affiliation: Addiction Research Program, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Verdun, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Couture
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Marie Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ouimet
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gianoulakis
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carbonneau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone