Hardin Elizabeth, Adinoff Bryon
Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390-8564, USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2008;34(2):151-60. doi: 10.1080/00952990701877011.
Early abstinence in alcohol-dependent subjects is marked by adrenocortical hyporesponsivity. However, it is uncertain whether the blunted response is primarily attributable to a genetic vulnerability or to the chronic abuse of alcohol. In the present study, the authors investigated the influence of a family history (FH) of alcoholism upon suppressed glucocorticoid reactivity.
Twenty-two abstinent alcohol-dependent and 14 control men were studied. The cortisol response was assessed in 11 patients following oCRH infusion (.4 ug/kg) and in a separate group of 11 patients following cosyntropin infusion (.01 ug/kg) preceded by high-dose intravenous dexamethasone (8 mg). FH, as determined by self-report, was assessed using two different methods: history of parental alcoholism and number of alcohol-dependent first- and second-degree relatives.
Neither a parental history or familial loading of alcoholism had a significant effect upon glucocorticoid responsivity in abstinent alcohol-dependent men.
Adrenocorticol responsiveness in recently abstinent alcohol-dependent men does not appear to reflect a preexisting biologic vulnerability to alcoholism.
酒精依赖者早期戒酒的特征是肾上腺皮质反应性低下。然而，尚不确定这种反应迟钝主要是由于遗传易感性还是长期酗酒所致。在本研究中，作者调查了酗酒家族史（FH）对糖皮质激素反应性抑制的影响。
对22名戒酒的酒精依赖男性和14名对照男性进行了研究。在11名患者中，静脉注射促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素（oCRH，0.4微克/千克）后评估皮质醇反应；在另一组11名患者中，先静脉注射高剂量地塞米松（8毫克），然后静脉注射促肾上腺皮质激素（cosyntropin，0.01微克/千克）后评估皮质醇反应。通过自我报告确定的FH，使用两种不同方法进行评估：父母酗酒史以及酒精依赖的一级和二级亲属数量。
父母酗酒史或酗酒家族负荷对戒酒的酒精依赖男性的糖皮质激素反应性均无显著影响。
近期戒酒的酒精依赖男性的肾上腺皮质反应性似乎并不反映其先前存在的对酗酒的生物学易感性。
