title: Physiological and endocrine reactions to psychosocial stress in alcohol use disorders: duration of abstinence matters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent research findings suggest that heavy alcohol use is associated with alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system function and that early abstinence is associated with blunted stress responsiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study investigated abstinent alcohol-dependent participants (AADs; n = 31), who had a drinking history of levels about 97 drinks per week (abstinence range: 2 weeks to 24 months), actively drinking problem drinkers (PRDs; n = 23), who reported drinking levels about 47 drinks per week and who were abstinent for at least 24 hours, and healthy control (HC) participants (n = 20). It was investigated how participants responded to a psychosocial stress task. All of them were exposed to a modified Trier Social Stress Test. Salivary cortisol, heart rate, skin conductance levels, and negative affect were assessed as stress indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AADs showed stress reactions comparable to HC participants, whereas active PRDs showed increased heart rate and cortisol stress responses. In the AAD group, duration of abstinence was positively related to cortisol stress responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Active PRDs showed increased responses to psychosocial stress. Results indicate that duration of abstinence is a key factor when analyzing and interpreting stress responses in alcohol abuse and dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, Academic Medical Center University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. katrin.starcke@uni-due.de
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Starcke
authors.forename: Ruth J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: van Holst
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.forename: Dick J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Veltman
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Goudriaan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Alcohol Dependence; Cortisol; Heart Rate; Problem Drinking; Stress