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Biomedical subjects

H Begleiter

Publications and source records attributed to H Begleiter.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire in males at high and low risk for alcoholism.

Cloninger has proposed a tridimensional model as the basis for the classification of personality variants and has developed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) as an empirical test of this model. In this study, the TPQ was administered to two groups of young men. One group was comprised of nonalcoholic sons of male alcoholics; the other group consisted of nonalcoholic men with no family history of alcoholism. Since the sons of male alcoholics are considered to be at greater risk to develop alcoholism than the sons of nonalcoholics, it was hypothesized that the two groups would demonstrate differences with regard to one or more personality variants as measured by the TPQ. No statistically significant differences in the three TPQ-subscale scores of the two groups were found.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

EEG characteristics in males at risk for alcoholism.

Baseline EEG activity was recorded with eyes closed in 15 males, aged 19 to 24 at risk (HR = high risk) for the development of alcoholism and 15 matched controls (LR = low risk). Four EEG frequency bands were examined: slow alpha (7.5-10 Hz), fast alpha (10.25-12.75 Hz), slow beta (13-19.5 Hz) and fast beta (19.75-26 Hz). The HR and LR groups were compared on four measures of EEG activity for each frequency band: band power, absolute and relative area and laterality differences. Statistical analysis of the data via ANOVA revealed no significant difference between the HR and LR groups for any comparison. The results indicate that EEG measures prior to alcohol administration do not effectively discriminate between individuals at high and low risk for alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Neurophysiological factors in individuals at risk for alcoholism.

The literature dealing with electrophysiological research in individuals at risk for alcoholism is reviewed. Event-related potential (ERP) and electroencephalographic (EEG) differences between family-history-positive (FHP) and family-history-negative (FHN) men have been reported both prior to the ingestion of alcohol and following alcohol challenge doses. At present, the most robust of these electrophysiological findings is the lower P3 amplitude of the ERP, which has now been replicated in several laboratories. This perhaps provides a phenotypic marker, distinguishing those at risk for alcoholism. However, its specificity for alcoholism and the role of gene-environment interactions in the development of alcoholism remain to be determined.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1990

Neuroelectric processes in individuals at risk for alcoholism.

The literature dealing with electrophysiologic research in alcoholics and individuals at risk for alcoholism is reviewed. Event-related potential (ERP) differences between family history positive (FHP) and family history negative (FHN) males have been reported both prior to the ingestion of alcohol and following alcohol challenge doses. At present, the most robust of these electrophysiological findings is the lower P3 amplitude of the ERP, which has now been replicated in several laboratories. This perhaps provides a phenotypic marker, distinguishing those at risk for alcoholism.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1988

Multivariate spectral methods for the analysis of event-related brain potentials.

The purpose of this article is to present some useful mathematical models for the analysis of multiple electrode event-related brain potential (ERP) experiments. We describe a multivariate spectral method for eye-movement removal and we also describe a multivariate spectral method for the analysis of multiple lead repeated measures data. The complex T2 and the complex Behrens-Fisher Problem are also discussed. All of the above methods are applied to experimental ERP data for four electrodes, two groups and two repeated factors.

Brain↗
PubMed1987

Late positive component amplitude in schizophrenics and alcoholics in two different paradigms.

Abstinent alcoholics, unmedicated schizophrenics, and controls were tested in two paradigms designed to elicit the late positive component. Experiment A used frequent stimuli of differing incentive value and Experiment B used infrequent stimuli of differing perceptual discriminability. Alcoholics and schizophrenics showed late positive components that were significantly reduced in amplitude compared to controls. The patient groups were similar in their late component amplitudes. Control subjects showed a substantially wider response range than the patient groups. The narrow response range in both patient groups was manifested in diminished late component amplitudes to both stimuli in both experiments. The intraclass correlation coefficient of late component amplitudes for both patient groups was significantly greater than that of the controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The N2 component of the event-related brain potential in abstinent alcoholics.

The latencies of the N2 component of the ERP and reaction time were manipulated in abstinent alcoholics and controls. The experimental design consisted of visual stimuli that differed in difficulty of discrimination. N2 latencies were found to be significantly delayed in alcoholics compared to controls, particularly for the easy discrimination. While controls manifested significantly earlier N2 latencies for the easy discrimination compared to the difficult discrimination, alcoholics did not manifest any significant difference in the latency of N2 as a function of the level of difficulty. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of RT or number of errors. In addition, alcoholics displayed significantly reduced P3 amplitudes to target stimuli compared to controls. These results suggest that match/mismatch processes are impaired in alcoholics and that they have difficulty evaluating the potential significance of a stimulus.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The N2 component of the event-related potential in schizophrenic patients.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) to easy and difficult infrequent visual target stimuli were recorded in unmedicated schizophrenic patients and age-matched controls. N2 difference wave forms were computed by subtracting the ERP to a frequent non-target stimulus from the ERP to each target. The N2 component was identified in these difference wave forms. All subjects showed longer latency N2 and P3 peaks to the difficult target than to the easy target. Schizophrenic patients had longer latency N2 peaks than controls to both targets. Schizophrenic patients also showed reduced P3 amplitudes to both targets compared to controls. The prolonged N2 latency in schizophrenics accounts for a substantial portion of the delayed reaction time commonly observed in this group. N2 latency prolongation appears to be yet another evoked potential abnormality in schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Auditory brainstem potentials in sons of alcoholic fathers.

With the use of event-related brain potentials we have observed sensory as well as cognitive deficits in abstinent alcoholics. By recording auditory brainstem potentials (BSP) from abstinent alcoholics we demonstrated significant delays in brainstem transmission time. We have also reported that P3 amplitudes are significantly reduced in abstinent alcoholics compared to control subjects. Although the neurophysiological deficits observed in abstinent alcoholics are presumed to be alcohol-related effects, it is possible that some of these deficits may exist prior to alcohol exposure, and may be present in subjects at high risk for alcoholism. We have recently observed significantly reduced P3 components in young sons of alcoholics similar to those observed in abstinent alcoholics. In the present study, we examined auditory BSPs in young boys at high risk for alcoholism and matched controls. We found no statistically significant difference in brainstem transmission time between high risk individuals and matched control subjects. These findings suggest that while some brain deficits observed in abstinent alcoholics may antecede the development of alcoholism (P3) and may represent a predisposing factor, other deficits (BSP) appear to be the consequence of alcohol and/or nutritional-related effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Spectral methods for principal components analysis of event-related brain potentials.

Principal components analysis has been a widely used method for the analysis of event-related, electrical brain potentials (ERPs). Recent emphasis has been placed on measuring the topography of ERPs, as derived from the instantaneous measurements from multiple locations, and on defining diagnostic differences in ERPs among various clinical populations. One goal of the present paper is to discuss inherent difficulties in utilizing PCA as an analytical technique in multiple location and multiple group studies. Another goal is to demonstrate the utility of spectral analysis and its equivalency to PCA when the signal imbedded in stationary noise model is used. Spectral analysis readily permits analysis of multiple lead multiple group studies.

Brain↗
PubMed1979

Impairment of acquisition of a DRL schedule following prolonged ethanol consumption.

Two groups of male hooded rats (N = 9) were given either ethanol or sucrose solutions as their only source of fluid for six months. Thirty days after the ethanol treatment, the rats were reduced to 85% of their free-feeding weights and allowed to obtain 45 mg of food pellets on an FR 1 schedule fof five consecutive days. Subsequently, the rats were tested on four DRL schedules (6. 12, 18, 24 sec). There was no difference between the two groups on FR 1 or DRL 6 sec schedules; however, when the DRL interval was lengthened to 12, 18, and 24 sec, the ethanol group required more sessions than the sucrose group to reach criterion performance. After increases in the DRL interval, the modal interresponse time of the ethanol group shifted more slowly than that of the sucrose group.

Aging↗
PubMed1978

Alcohol self-administration in monkeys (Macaca radiata): the effects of prior alcohol exposure.

Responding by 4 monkeys was maintained under a fixed ratio 10 (FR 10) schedule for either food, intravenous sucrose or alcohol. The 20 hr sessions were divided so that food was available during hours 1, 6, 11, 16 and alcohol or sucrose during hours 2-5, 7-10, 12-15, and 17-20. All animals failed to maintain responding for isocaloric sucrose but continued to respond for food during those sessions. Responding under alcohol conditions was positively accelerated in 2 animals that were not previously exposed to alcohol, whereas prior exposure to alcohol produced maximal response rates during the first alcohol test session. The effects of alcohol in all monkeys were to suppress responding maintained by food and this suppression could not be produced with programmed infusions of isocaloric sucrose.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1977

Changes in fixed-ratio performance and blood alcohol levels in monkeys.

Three female Bonnet monkeys prepared with indwelling venous catheters were maintained on a fixed-ratio schedule of food reinforcement until response rates were stable. The animals were then intubated with alcohol (5.0 g/kg) 30 min prior to testing. Blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were determined every 15 min throughout the 90-min session. Each alcohol intubation was separated by 3 days and on the second control day an isocaloric sucrose solution was intubated. The results show that the alcohol-induced response suppression gradually returns to baseline levels after 5 alcohol intubations, and the BACs were concomitantly decreased. The results indicate that the reversibility of alcohol induced behavioral impairments and changes in BACs develop within similar temporal intervals.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Persistence of brain hyperexcitability following chronic alcohol exposure in rats.

Eighteen hooded Long-Evans rats were implanted with monopolar electrodes for the purpose of recording visual evoked potentials (VEP's) at the following brain sites: visual cortex, reticular formation and thalamus. Baseline VEP's were obtained to flashes for all animals, and subsequently twelve rats were intubated daily with a progression of increasing quantities of 20% (V/V) alcohol (3-8 g/kg), while the remaining six rats received an equivalent amount of water in the same fashion. Beginning 4 1/2 hours after the last dose of intubated alcohol, withdrawal VEP's were sampled every half-hour up to 8 hours, and 24-27 hours postwithdrawal. All experimental animals manifested their greatest brain hyperexcitability at visual cortex, which peaked sharply between 7-8 hours after alcohol withdrawal. Following two weeks of abstinence, half of the experimental rats (N = 6) and half of the controls (N = 3) received an alcohol challenge dose (2 g/kg i.p.), while the remaining animals received the same challenge dose after five weeks. Marked hyperexcitability was observed in the two-week challenge dose animals that had been previously subjected to alcohol; no such increase in VEP amplitude was apparent for control rats. There is also some evidence of hyperexcitability after five weeks of abstinence from alcohol at visual cortex. The data indicates that the neurophysiological responses of post-addict rats to challenge doses of alcohol are readily distinguishable from those of naive animals, even five weeks after alcohol removal. Furthermore, alcohol seems to act differently at different sites of the brain.

Alcoholism↗