Biomedical subjects

Howard B Moss

Publications and source records attributed to Howard B Moss.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Diplotypes of the human serotonin 1B receptor promoter predict growth hormone responses to sumatriptan in abstinent alcohol-dependent men.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have associated alcohol dependence (AD) with the human serotonin (5-HT)(1B) receptor (HTR1B). This investigation explored the functional responsivity of HTR1B in abstinent AD men using a sumatriptan challenge, while measuring genetic heterogeneity in the HTR1B promoter. METHODS: Abstinent AD men (n = 27) and abstinent men without any alcohol use disorder (n = 19) were administered 6 mg of sumatriptan succinate, subcutaneously. Plasma samples collected over the following 2 hours were assayed for growth hormone (GH) concentrations. His DNA was genotyped for the A-161T and T-261G polymorphisms of the HTR1B promoter and diplotypes determined. RESULTS: Integrated GH responses were predicted by interactions of AD and promoter diplotypes, as well as subject ethnicity. The final model accounted for nearly 35% of the variance in GH responses. Post hoc evaluation revealed that AD was associated with a blunting of GH secretion only among individuals with the most common HTR1B diplotype (TT/TT). CONCLUSIONS: A blunting of GH responses in abstinent AD men was observed only among those with the most common HTR1B promoter diplotype. Less common promoter diplotypes appeared protective. Controlling for genetic background is a useful augmentation of case-control pharmacological challenge strategies designed to elucidate the psychobiology of AD and other complex disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Genetic correlations between smoking initiation and smoking behaviors in a twin sample.

Early exposure to cigarettes is connected to increasing rate of regular use later in life. We examine genetic correlation between the age of first cigarette and later smoking related behaviors. The sample consisted of twin ages 25 to 75. Biometrical analysis was used to evaluate the heritabilities and a second analyses based on Cholesky decomposition determined the shared variance. The genetic variance ranged from 48% to 69%. Models comparing age of first cigarette to and smoking persistence, cessation, and number of cigarettes during year smoked most individually indicated a very small proportion of shared genetic variance (ranging from 0.004 to 0.056). These findings support separate genetic and unshared environmental processes for the age of first cigarette as compared to three other smoking related phenotypes. Research in substance abuse risk and prevention literature suggests that delaying initial exposure is a critical step reducing in the risk of later regular use. The interventional implications of the findings support the importance of a tailored approach to preventing smoking behavior and reducing harm in smokers.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The impact of self-control indices on peer smoking and adolescent smoking progression.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the direct impact of self-control variables on baseline smoking and smoking progression and determine whether self-control had indirect effects on smoking practices through effects on peer smoking. METHODS: Study participants were 918 adolescents who were followed from 9th through the 12th grade and completed self-report measures of peer smoking, self-control, and cigarette smoking. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to assess the factor structure of a 41-item self-control measure. The EFA indicated a six-factor structure comprising of impulsive control, planning, hostile blaming, attentional disregulation, conscientiousness, and physical aggression. RESULTS: The results of a latent growth model indicated that conscientiousness (OR = 0.81, CI = 0.73-0.90), hostile blaming (OR = 0.89, CI = 0.81-0.99), and physical aggression (OR = 1.16, CI = 1.06-1.27) had direct effects on baseline smoking, whereas planning (OR = 0.90, CI = 0.82-0.99) and impulse control (OR = 1.15, CI = 1.02-1.28) had indirect effects on adolescent smoking at baseline through baseline peer smoking. There were no significant direct or indirect effects of the self-control indices on smoking progression. There was a direct effect of peer smoking progression (number of peers who smoked) on adolescent smoking progression, such that increases in the number of peers who smoked across time increased the odds that an adolescent would progress to a higher level of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Youth smoking prevention and intervention program outcomes may potentially improve by addressing self-control behaviors as they appear to have direct effects on smoking and indirect effects through peers who smoke.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Affiliation with deviant peers among children of substance dependent fathers from pre-adolescence into adolescence: associations with problem behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: Affiliation with delinquent peers has been shown to be a major risk factor for the development of antisocial and substance abuse behaviors in adolescence. However, little data are available concerning the developmental trajectories of deviant peer affiliation. METHOD: In this study, we have prospectively examined the density of deviant peers among the social networks of children of drug dependent fathers at age 10, and at 2 and 5 year follow-ups, and compared them with those of controls. Measures of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were employed as time varying covariates, while socioeconomic status (SES) was used as a time invariant covariate. A pattern mixture analysis of missing data was conducted. RESULTS: Using mixed effects models, we found significant main effects of time, group, externalizing psychopathology, and to lesser extent, SES on the magnitude of affiliation with deviant peers. Greater deviant peer affiliation among the high-risk children was found at each time point. Externalizing psychopathology augmented the magnitude of deviant peer affiliation in both high-risk and comparison children. CONCLUSION: Offspring of drug dependent fathers have heightened affiliation with deviant peers from pre-adolescence through mid-adolescence. This social developmental process may be a component of the familial risk for substance abuse and antisocial behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Smoking progression and physical activity.

This study examined the relationship between changes in physical activity and changes in smoking among adolescents. We prospectively examined smoking progression, physical activity, demographic factors, and covariates in 978 high school students participating in a longitudinal cohort study of the predictors of smoking adoption. We used latent growth modeling with the parallel processes smoking progression and physical activity as our method, with smoking progression measured as an ordered categorical variable. Results indicated that higher levels of physical activity reduced the odds of progressing to smoking or a higher level of smoking by nearly 1.5 (1.44; P < 0.05). No race differences were found. However, being male increased the odds of smoking progression by 1.32 (P < 0.05). Higher levels of physical activity may reduce the risk of smoking during adolescence. Youth smoking prevention initiatives should incorporate strategies to promote physical activity to prevent smoking experimentation and escalation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Does adverse family environment or sex matter in the salivary cortisol responses to anticipatory stress?

We previously reported that in anticipation of a modest stressor, preadolescent sons of drug-dependent fathers (HR) demonstrated a diminished salivary cortisol response relative to comparison boys. No data were available concerning anticipatory salivary cortisol responses in preadolescent daughters of HR fathers. Additionally, we hypothesized that diminished stress responses in HR youth might be an adaptation to a stressful family environment. Consequently, in this report we have examined the role of family environment in the anticipatory salivary cortisol responses in both HR boys and girls as well as their association with a measure of distress in the family environment. Independent of sex, HR children had diminished anticipatory cortisol responses. Girls had significantly higher salivary cortisol concentrations, pre- and post-stressor. However, contrary to our expectation, we could not demonstrate an association between salivary cortisol responses and the measures of the family environment. These results suggest that there may be a sex difference in salivary cortisol dynamics in preadolescent children; however, the functional status of the current family environment does not appear to be related to cortisol reactivity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Reactive aggression in boys with disruptive behavior disorders: behavior, physiology, and affect.

This study examined responses to peer provocation in boys ages 9-13 years who met symptomatic criteria for ADHD-only, ODD/CD-only, comorbid ADHD/ODD/CD, or no diagnosis. Boys participated in a reaction-time game that included standardized verbal and behavioral provocation. Their behavioral, physiological, and affective responses to this task were measured. Results showed that groups did not differ following high levels of provocation because all boys behaved aggressively. However, following low provocation boys with comorbid ADHD/ODD/CD had higher levels of behavioral aggression, had greater heart rate acceleration, and were rated as angrier than all other boys. In addition, boys with comorbid ADHD/ODD/CD held a grudge longer than other children. Results suggest that boys with comorbid ADHD/ODD/CD are especially reactive to provocation from their peers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Family functioning and peer affiliation in children of fathers with antisocial personality disorder and substance dependence: associations with problem behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: Family functioning and peer influences are theoretically linked to child psychopathology. This study quantified the functional status of families with fathers with substance dependence with or without comorbid antisocial personality disorder and evaluated the peer environments of preadolescent offspring. The authors examined associations between the child's psychopathology, paternal substance dependence/antisocial personality disorder status, and measures of family and peer environments. METHOD: Families with the presence or absence of paternal substance dependence were subdivided into those with and without paternal antisocial personality disorder. Grouped families were contrasted on measures of family functioning, the child's peer affiliation, and the child's problem behaviors. Regression analysis determined the influence of these factors on the child's psychopathology. RESULTS: Families with paternal substance dependence functioned worse than normal comparison families. However, families with paternal substance dependence and antisocial personality disorder (N=34) did not differ markedly from those with substance dependence without antisocial personality disorder (N=84). The children of fathers with both substance dependence and antisocial personality disorder had greater affiliation with deviant peers than those with substance dependence without antisocial personality disorder and comparison families (N=104). CONCLUSIONS: Children of fathers with substance dependence and antisocial personality disorder demonstrated higher externalizing and internalizing psychopathology than those with substance dependence but not antisocial personality disorder and those without either condition. Paternal substance dependence/antisocial personality disorder status and the child's affiliation with deviant peers were most robustly associated with the child's psychopathology. Research is needed to develop interventions that effectively address parental risk and healthy peer relations.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Developmental heterogeneity in adolescent depressive symptoms: associations with smoking behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has indicated an association between smoking and depression in adolescents, although the nature of the relationship is controversial. We sought to understand this relationship better in a prospective study by investigating whether there are subpopulations of adolescents with different relationships between smoking and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Our sample was 925 adolescents attending one of five Northern Virginia high schools, grades 9 to 12. We used General Growth Mixture Modeling as our method because it allowed identification and characterization of depressive symptoms trajectories and assessment of the effects of trajectory on 12th grade smoking. We defined the binary variable 12th grade current smoking as smoking on 1 or more of the past 30 days and more than 100 cigarettes smoked in a lifetime, versus not having smoked in the past 30 days. RESULTS: We identified three trajectories: high, medium, and low depressive symptoms. For adolescents with high symptoms, 9th grade (baseline) smoking was associated with an overall deceleration of depressive symptoms, whereas for adolescents with moderate symptoms, baseline smoking was associated with an overall acceleration in depressive symptoms. Baseline smoking was not associated with rate of change in depressive symptoms for adolescents with low symptoms, nor was it associated with baseline depressive symptoms in any trajectory. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that there is a relationship between smoking and depressive symptoms in adolescents, and that the relationship can vary by developmental trajectory, suggesting etiological heterogeneity.

Adolescent↗