Startle-response based tasks and laboratory measures of impulsivity in abstinent alcoholic patients.
OBJECTIVE
It is well known that impulsivity is a risk factor for the development of Addictive Disorders, and more specifically Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Recently, the Startle-Response Based Tasks (SRBT) and its different forms of plasticity have been found to be impaired in the alcoholic population. This is the first study to explore the correlation between impulsivity laboratory tasks and the SRBT test, in order to determine whether impulsivity and startle response (SR) could be related and in turn, explain their association with Alcohol Dependence (AD).


METHODS



METHODS
40 men, who met DSM-IV criteria for AD and had been abstinent for at least one month. Impulsivity was assessed using three laboratory tests: Continuous Performance Test (CPT), Stop-Signal Task (SST) and Differential Reinforcement for Low-Rate Responding (DRL6). Patients also underwent the SR test. They were compared to 40 matched controls.


RESULTS
Impulsivity laboratory measures tasks (SST and commissions of the CPT) correlated positively with the magnitude of SR (P < 0.05) and with habituation (P < 0.05). Scores on DRL6 correlated negatively with the magnitude of SR (P < 0.05). This was not found in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that impulsivity laboratory measures and the SR are correlated in patients but not in controls, could imply the existence of a common link for these two measures in alcoholic patients. Our findings support the hypothesis of the existence of two different vulnerability pathways for the development of AUD: anxiety and disinhibitory behaviour.
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain martukam81@hotmail.com.
Marta
M
Marin
Biomedical Research Center Network for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain Faculty of Psychology, University Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain.
Rosa
R
Jurado
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Guillermo
G
Ponce
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain.
Alejandra
A
Koeneke
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Isabel
I
Martinez-Gras
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain Biomedical Research Center Network for Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.
Miguel Ángel
MÁ
Jiménez-Arriero
Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Programme, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Avda. Córdoba s/n, Madrid 28041, Spain Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
Gabriel
G
Rubio
D000328:Adult; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013216:Reflex, Startle