title: Early life adversity contributes to impaired cognition and impulsive behavior: studies from the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stressful early life experience may have adverse consequences in adulthood and may contribute to behavioral characteristics that increase vulnerability to alcoholism. We examined early life adverse experience in relation to cognitive deficits and impulsive behaviors with a reference to risk factors for alcoholism.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested 386 healthy young adults (18 to 30 years of age; 224 women; 171 family history positive for alcoholism) using a composite measure of adverse life experience (low socioeconomic status plus personally experienced adverse events including physical and sexual abuse and separation from parents) as a predictor of performance on the Shipley Institute of Living scale, the Stroop color-word task, and a delay discounting task assessing preference for smaller immediate rewards in favor of larger delayed rewards. Body mass index (BMI) was examined as an early indicator of altered health behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater levels of adversity predicted higher Stroop interference scores (F = 3.07, p = 0.048), faster discounting of delayed rewards (F = 3.79, p = 0.024), lower Shipley mental age scores (F = 4.01, p = 0.019), and higher BMIs in those with a family history of alcoholism (F = 3.40, p = 0.035). These effects were not explained by age, sex, race, education, or depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate a long-term impact of stressful life experience on cognitive function, impulsive behaviors, and early health indicators that may contribute to risk in persons with a family history of alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Sciences Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. bill@mindbody1.org
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lovallo
authors.forename: Noha H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Farag
authors.forename: Kristen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Sorocco
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Acheson
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cohoon
authors.forename: Andrea S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000639:trends; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009825:Oklahoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D057190:Stroop Test; D055815:Young Adult