title: The role of behavioral impulsivity in the development of alcohol dependence: a 4-year follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although many studies have established a close relation between impulsivity and alcohol use disorders, little is known about the role of behavioral impulsivity in the development of these disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the role of 2 laboratory paradigms of impulsivity in the development of alcohol use disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up study carried out with 471 participants diagnosed as heavy drinkers (HD) and followed-up for 4 years. Initially, they were compared with a healthy control group. Assessment of behavioral impulsivity was carried out with the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and the Stop-Signal Task (SST) assessed behavioral inhibitory control. Differential reinforcement for low-rate responding (DRLR) was used to evaluate the delay reward dimension. The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-DSM-IV) was used to diagnose alcohol dependence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HD performed worse than the control group in all the behavioral tests of impulsivity. Performance in DRLR was the only behavioral impulsivity test that classified the HD correctly compared to controls. Logistic regression analysis indicated that performance on SST was a significant predictor [odds = 1.52(CI = 1.08-2.31)] of developing alcohol dependence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the relation between behavioral impulsivity and alcohol use disorders. The paradigm related to delay of reward may be a factor associated with the use of alcohol and the incapacity to control inhibition as dependence develops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain. garuva@inicia.es
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Jiménez
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferre
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Arriero
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Palomo
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis