The Role of Impulsivity Facets on the Incidence and Development of Alcohol Use Disorders

Herman, Aleksandra M.; Duka, Theodora

doi:10.1007/7854_2020_137

Cited by 9 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 139 publications

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“…Moreover, difficulty discriminating between different emotions and physiological states may lead to using alcohol as maladaptive means to deal with undifferentiated arousal (7). Thus, our findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that alexithymia is an expression of impaired processing of bodily sensations including physiological arousal, which underpins the development of maladaptive coping strategies, including alcohol use (11,15). We also suggest that promoting a better understanding of one's body signals and needs might lead to a reduction in alcohol use as a coping mechanism in student drinkers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Research also indicates that alexithymia, specifically, difficulty in identifying feelings, mediated the relationship between sensitivity to bodily sensations and alcohol consumption in student social drinkers (11). Thus, it has been suggested that a failure to correctly interpret or distinguish distinct bodily states of arousal from each other may be one of the predisposing factors for alcohol drinking (15). Therefore, it is important to understand better alexithymia, specifically the differentiation between emotional and non-emotional bodily feelings, in the context of alcohol use and problematic drinking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bodily Confusion: Lower Differentiation of Emotional and Physiological States in Student Alcohol Users

Herman¹,

Michałowski²,

Wypych³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Alexithymia, difficulty in recognizing and naming emotions, is common among people who abuse alcohol. Currently, alexithymia is usually measured with questionnaire tools, in which the respondents themselves declare to what extent speaking about or naming emotions causes them difficulties in everyday life. However, there is growing evidence that people with alexithymia are also often unable to distinguish emotions from non-emotional physiological states (e.g., hunger from anger), which is not included in the commonly used questionnaire measures. The project aimed to test whether the level of alcohol use is related to how and where in the body individuals experience emotions and physiological states. We employed a novel method to study bodily sensations related to emotions and physiological states in the context of alcohol use: the emBODY tool, which allowed participants to mark areas of the body in which they experience various emotions and physiological states. Our results suggest that individuals who present a hazardous pattern of alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score ≥ 7, N = 91), overall, presented higher alexithymia levels and coloured larger areas for emotions and physiological states (showed less specificity) than those who show low-risk alcohol consumption (AUDIT ≤ 4, N = 90). Moreover, statistical classifiers distinguished feeling-specific maps less accurately for hazardous drinkers than low-risk drinkers [F(1,1998) = 441.16; p < .001], confirming that higher alcohol use is related to higher confusion of emotional and non-emotional bodily feelings. Plausibly, this increased bodily confusion drives alcohol consumption: Alcohol may serve as a means of dealing with undifferentiated changes in psychophysiological arousal accompanying emotional states.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bodily Confusion: Lower Differentiation of Emotional and Physiological States in Student Alcohol Users

Herman¹,

Michałowski²,

Wypych³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Confusing different emotions or emotions and non‐emotional states with each other is likely to have a variety of negative consequences for one's physical and mental health, as this may reduce one's ability to respond appropriately to their current state. Moreover, difficulty discriminating between different emotions and physiological states may lead to using alcohol as a maladaptive means to deal with undifferentiated arousal 12,14 . Considering that some young people drink to cope with emotions, which is linked to alcohol‐related problems, 21 improving the ability to identify one's precise emotional state, might lead to adaptive coping strategies, particularly in students with alcohol‐related issues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bodily confusion: Lower differentiation of emotional and physiological states in student alcohol users

Herman,

Wypych,

Michałowski

et al. 2024

Addiction Biology

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BackgroundAlexithymia, difficulty in recognising and naming emotions, is common among people who use alcohol. There is also emerging evidence that people with alexithymia are unable to distinguish emotions from non‐emotional physiological states. The project aimed to test if alcohol use is related to the way student drinkers experience emotions and physiological states in the body.MethodsWe employed a novel method to study bodily sensations related to emotions and physiological states in the context of alcohol use: the emBODY tool, which allowed participants to mark areas of the body in which they experience various emotions and physiological states.ResultsStudents who showed a hazardous pattern of alcohol use (alcohol use disorders identification test [AUDIT] score ≥ 7, N = 91), overall, presented higher alexithymia levels and coloured larger areas for emotions and physiological states (showed less specificity) than those who show low‐risk alcohol consumption (AUDIT ≤ 4, N = 90). Moreover, statistical classifiers distinguished feeling‐specific maps less accurately for hazardous drinkers than low‐risk drinkers [F(1,1998) = 441.16; p < 0.001], confirming that higher alcohol use is related to higher confusion of emotional and non‐emotional bodily feelings.ConclusionsPlausibly, this increased bodily confusion drives alcohol consumption: alcohol may serve as a means of dealing with undifferentiated changes in psychophysiological arousal accompanying emotional states.

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“…An AUD diagnosis is defined according to a set classification system which includes parameters such as loss of intake control, persistent desire, craving and tolerance. Although not a part of the AUD diagnosis, both risk taking and impulsivity are common characteristics observed in patients with AUD ( 5 ). A complex disease like AUD involves a vast number of underlying pathways and neurobiological substrates which are being identified by means of both preclinical and clinical research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal studies reveal that the ghrelin pathway regulates alcohol-mediated responses

Jerlhag

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is often described as repeated phases of binge drinking, compulsive alcohol-taking, craving for alcohol during withdrawal, and drinking with an aim to a reduce the negative consequences. Although multifaceted, alcohol-induced reward is one aspect influencing the former three of these. The neurobiological mechanisms regulating AUD processes are complex and one of these systems is the gut-brain peptide ghrelin. The vast physiological properties of ghrelin are mediated via growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR, ghrelin receptor). Ghrelin is well known for its ability to control feeding, hunger, and metabolism. Moreover, ghrelin signaling appears central for alcohol-mediated responses; findings reviewed herein. In male rodents GHSR antagonism reduces alcohol consumption, prevents relapse drinking, and attenuates the motivation to consume alcohol. On the other hand, ghrelin increases the consumption of alcohol. This ghrelin-alcohol interaction is also verified to some extent in humans with high alcohol consumption. In addition, either pharmacological or genetic suppression of GHSR decreases several alcohol-related effects (behavioral or neurochemical). Indeed, this suppression blocks the alcohol-induced hyperlocomotion and dopamine release in nucleus accumbens as well as ablates the alcohol reward in the conditioned place preference model. Although not fully elucidated, this interaction appears to involve areas central for reward, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and brain nodes targeted by VTA projections. As reviewed briefly, the ghrelin pathway does not only modulate alcohol-mediated effects, it regulates reward-related behaviors induced by addictive drugs. Although personality traits like impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors are common in patients with AUD, the role of the ghrelin pathway thereof is unknown and remains to be studied. In summary, the ghrelin pathway regulates addiction processes like AUD and therefore the possibility that GHSR antagonism reduces alcohol or drug-taking should be explored in randomized clinical trials.

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The Role of Impulsivity Facets on the Incidence and Development of Alcohol Use Disorders

Cited by 9 publications

References 139 publications

Bodily Confusion: Lower Differentiation of Emotional and Physiological States in Student Alcohol Users

Bodily Confusion: Lower Differentiation of Emotional and Physiological States in Student Alcohol Users

Bodily confusion: Lower differentiation of emotional and physiological states in student alcohol users

Animal studies reveal that the ghrelin pathway regulates alcohol-mediated responses

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