Stress-related salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity in alcohol dependent patients with and without a history of childhood maltreatment

TY - JOUR

T1 - Stress-related salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity in alcohol dependent patients with and without a history of childhood maltreatment

AU - Muehlhan, Markus

AU - Höcker, Anja

AU - Höfler, Michael

AU - Wiedemann, Klaus

AU - Barnow, Sven

AU - Schäfer, Ingo

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - RATIONALE: Alcohol-dependent (AD) patients with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) have shown a more severe clinical profile and a higher risk of relapse than those without CM. It was hypothesized that stress responsivity plays an important role in moderating the relationship between CM and AD. Surprisingly, systematic investigations about the stress responsivity in AD patients with CM are rare.OBJECTIVE: This study compared physiological and subjective stress responses in AD patients with and without CM as well as in healthy controls with and without CM.METHODS: A total of 130 participants performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Physiological stress reactivity related to the noradrenergic system was assessed by salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity. Subjective ratings of anxiety, nervousness, distress, and mood were rated on visual analogue scales.RESULTS: AD patients showed significantly lower stress-related sAA activity than healthy controls (p ≤ 0.024; z ≥ 1.97). A different pattern was found in the subjective ratings. In particular, anticipatory anxiety revealed a clear effect of CM (p ≤ 0.005; z ≥ 2.43) but no difference between AD patients and healthy controls (p > 0.05). After the TSST, distress ratings differed between AD patients with CM and AD patients without CM (p ≤ 0.009; z ≥ 2.61).CONCLUSION: The discrepancy between physiological responsivity and subjective stress experiences may account for an increased inability to cope with stressful situations, which in turn might explain the enhanced risk of relapse in AD patients with a history of CM during early abstinence.

AB - RATIONALE: Alcohol-dependent (AD) patients with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) have shown a more severe clinical profile and a higher risk of relapse than those without CM. It was hypothesized that stress responsivity plays an important role in moderating the relationship between CM and AD. Surprisingly, systematic investigations about the stress responsivity in AD patients with CM are rare.OBJECTIVE: This study compared physiological and subjective stress responses in AD patients with and without CM as well as in healthy controls with and without CM.METHODS: A total of 130 participants performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Physiological stress reactivity related to the noradrenergic system was assessed by salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity. Subjective ratings of anxiety, nervousness, distress, and mood were rated on visual analogue scales.RESULTS: AD patients showed significantly lower stress-related sAA activity than healthy controls (p ≤ 0.024; z ≥ 1.97). A different pattern was found in the subjective ratings. In particular, anticipatory anxiety revealed a clear effect of CM (p ≤ 0.005; z ≥ 2.43) but no difference between AD patients and healthy controls (p > 0.05). After the TSST, distress ratings differed between AD patients with CM and AD patients without CM (p ≤ 0.009; z ≥ 2.61).CONCLUSION: The discrepancy between physiological responsivity and subjective stress experiences may account for an increased inability to cope with stressful situations, which in turn might explain the enhanced risk of relapse in AD patients with a history of CM during early abstinence.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1007/s00213-017-4595-8

DO - 10.1007/s00213-017-4595-8

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 28314952

VL - 234

SP - 1901

EP - 1909

JO - PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

JF - PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

SN - 0033-3158

IS - 12

ER -