title: Relationship between the thyroid axis and alcohol craving.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A few studies have suggested a relationship between thyroid hormones and alcohol dependence (AD) such as a blunted increase of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), lower levels of circulating free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels and down regulation of the TRH receptors. The current study aimed to explore the relationship between the hormones of the thyroid axis and alcohol-seeking behaviors in a sample of alcohol-dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals enrolled in a 12-week treatment study were considered. The Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) was used to assess the number of drinks consumed during the 12-week period. Blood levels of thyroid hormones (TSH, fT3 and fT4) were measured prior to and at the end of treatment. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate craving for alcohol [Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) and the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and its two subscales ODS for obsessions and CDS for compulsions] as well as anxiety [State and Trait Inventory (STAI)], depression [the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung)] and aggression [the Aggressive Questionnaire (AQ)].
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, we found significant positive correlations between fT3 and OCDS (r = 0.358, P = 0.029) and CDS (r = 0.405, P = 0.013) and negative correlations between TSH levels and STAI (r = -0.342, P = 0.031), and AQ (r = -0.35, P = 0.027). At the end of the 12-week study period, abstinent patients had a greater change in TSH than those who relapsed (-0.4 vs. -0.25, F(1,24) = 5.4, P = 0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If confirmed in larger samples, these findings could suggest that the thyroid axis might represent a biomarker of alcohol craving and drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Elie G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Aoun
authors.affiliation: Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mary R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Carolina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Haass-Koffler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Swift
authors.affiliation: Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Addolorato
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kenna
authors.affiliation: Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA lorenzo.leggio@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leggio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D066249:Craving / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine