title: Behavioral Impulsivity Does Not Predict Naturalistic Alcohol Consumption or Treatment Outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine if behavioral impulsivity under multiple conditions (baseline, after alcohol consumption or after serotonin depletion) predicted naturalistic alcohol use or treatment outcomes from a moderation-based contingency management intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current data analysis pulls information from three phases of a large study: 1) Phase 1 examined baseline and the effects of alcohol use and serotonin depletion on three types of behavioral impulsivity: response initiation (IMT task), response inhibition (GoStop task), and delay discounting (SKIP task); 2) Phase 2 involved 28 days of naturalistic drinking; and 3) Phase 3 involved 3 months of contingency management. During phases 2 and 3 alcohol use was measured objectively using transdermal alcohol monitors. The results of each individual phase has been previously published showing that at a group level the effects of alcohol consumption on impulsivity were dependent on the component of impulsivity being measured and the dose of alcohol consumed but serotonin depletion had no effect on impulsivity, and that a moderation-based contingency management intervention reduced heavy drinking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The current analysis combining data from those who completed all three phases (n= 67) showed that impulsivity measured at baseline, after alcohol consumption, or after serotonin depletion did not predict naturalistic drinking or treatment outcomes from a moderation-based CM treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contingency management interventions may prove to be an effective intervention for impulsive individuals, however, normal variations in measured impulsivity do not seem to relate to normal variations in drinking pattern or response to moderation-based contingency management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Mathias
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Tara E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Karns
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hill-Kapturczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Roache
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dougherty
keywords: Alcohol; Contingency Management; Impulsivity; Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring; Treatment Outcomes