PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

James C Garbutt

Publications and source records attributed to James C Garbutt.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Sweet preference predicts mood altering effect of and impaired control over eating sweet foods.

The purpose of the present study was to examine association between hedonic response to sweet taste and a mood altering effect associated with eating sweet foods and impaired control over eating sweets. Participants (n=163, 39% males) rated a series of sucrose solutions for intensity of sweetness and palatability and completed a newly developed 12-item Sweet Taste Questionnaire (STQ). It was shown that STQ identifies two factors in the individual's attitude towards sweet foods: sensitivity to the mood altering effect of sweets and impaired control over eating sweet foods. Individuals preferring the taste of the strongest offered sucrose concentration reported a stronger mood altering effect associated with eating of sweet foods and were more likely to have an impaired control over eating sweets than the rest of the group. Women generally had higher scores on both factors compared to men. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that hedonic response to sweet taste is associated with elevated sensitivity to mood altering effects of sweet foods and impaired control over eating sweets.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Efficacy and tolerability of long-acting injectable naltrexone for alcohol dependence: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Alcohol dependence is a common disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, has been shown to be effective for treatment of alcohol dependence. However, adherence to daily oral pharmacotherapy can be problematic, and clinical acceptance and utility of oral naltrexone have been limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine efficacy and tolerability of a long-acting intramuscular formulation of naltrexone for treatment of alcohol-dependent patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A 6-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted between February 2002 and September 2003 at 24 US public hospitals, private and Veterans Administration clinics, and tertiary care medical centers. Of the 899 individuals screened, 627 who were diagnosed as being actively drinking alcohol-dependent adults were randomized to receive treatment and 624 received at least 1 injection. INTERVENTION: An intramuscular injection of 380 mg of long-acting naltrexone (n = 205) or 190 mg of long-acting naltrexone (n = 210) or a matching volume of placebo (n = 209) each administered monthly and combined with 12 sessions of low-intensity psychosocial intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The event rate of heavy drinking days in the intent-to-treat population. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, 380 mg of long-acting naltrexone resulted in a 25% decrease in the event rate of heavy drinking days (P = .02) [corrected] and 190 mg of naltrexone resulted in a 17% decrease (P = .07). Sex and pretreatment abstinence each showed significant interaction with the medication group on treatment outcome, with men and those with lead-in abstinence both exhibiting greater treatment effects. Discontinuation due to adverse events occurred in 14.1% in the 380-mg and 6.7% in the 190-mg group and 6.7% in the placebo group. Overall, rate and time to treatment discontinuation were similar among treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Long-acting naltrexone was well tolerated and resulted in reductions in heavy drinking among treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent patients during 6 months of therapy. These data indicate that long-acting naltrexone can be of benefit in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Baclofen for alcohol dependence: a preliminary open-label study.

BACKGROUND: Recent preclinical and clinical studies have shown that the gamma-aminobutyric acid-B agonist baclofen may be an effective treatment for reducing alcohol consumption. This preliminary open-label investigation examined the tolerability and effect of a 30-mg daily baclofen dose for reducing drinking, subclinical anxiety and depressive symptoms, and craving in alcohol-dependent subjects. METHODS: Nine men and three women participated in a 12-week trial during which they took baclofen on a 10 mg thrice-daily regimen and received four sessions of motivational enhancement therapy. Each participant received a comprehensive physical and psychiatric screening before being enrolled. At each visit, side effects were monitored with a revised version of the Systematic Assessment of Treatment Emergent Events-General Inquiry, and drinking data were collected via the timeline follow-back interview. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale at each visit. RESULTS: Baclofen was reasonably tolerated. Two participants discontinued because of side effects. No serious adverse events were noted. Six other individuals did not complete the trial. Overall, there were statistically significant reductions in the number of drinks per drinking day and the number of heavy-drinking days, and there was an increase in the number of abstinent days. Significant decreases in anxiety and craving were also shown. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that baclofen is reasonably tolerated in an alcohol-dependent population, although the high dropout rate in the study is of concern. Baclofen may be effective for the reduction of drinking, anxiety, and craving for some alcohol-dependent individuals. A larger-scale placebo-controlled study is needed to further explore these effects and to determine the characteristics of those who respond to this medication.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Family history of alcoholism and response to sweets.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between a hedonic response to sweet tastes and a propensity to excessive alcohol drinking is supported by both animal and human studies. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the genetic risk for alcoholism as measured by a paternal history of alcoholism in young social drinkers is associated with sweet-liking, defined as rating the strongest offered sucrose solution (i.e., 0.83 M) as the most palatable during the standard sweet test. METHODS: Participants were 163 subjects (39% male) without a lifetime history of alcohol or drug abuse or dependence. Eighty-one subjects had a paternal history of alcoholism (FH+), and 82 did not (FH-). Each subject rated a series of sucrose solutions for intensity of sweetness and palatability. Subjects were categorized as sweet-likers if they rated the highest sucrose concentration as the most pleasurable. RESULTS: The estimated odds of being a sweet-liker were 2.5 times higher for FH+ than for FH- subjects. FH+ subjects disliked the tastes of the two weakest offered sucrose concentrations (0.05 and 0.10 M), whereas FH- subjects reported these tastes to be neutral. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the hypothesis that sweet-liking is associated with a genetic vulnerability to alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A longitudinal study of serotonergic function in depression.

Several reports have described abnormal neuroendocrine responses to serotonergic challenge tests in depression, but few have studied depressed patients followed longitudinally. In order to determine whether blunted prolactin responses to clomipramine challenge is a "state" vs. "trait" marker in depression, we applied this challenge paradigm to 20 patients with Major Depression prior to treatment and at three additional time points following response to desipramine: at the completion of acute treatment; at the end of the continuation phase of treatment; and after a minimum of three weeks "washout" following the discontinuation of treatment. The prolactin response to clomipramine challenge was blunted in depressed patients compared with matched healthy control subjects, at each time point over the longitudinal course of their illness and recovery. Challenge test results in depressed patients did not change after response to acute desipramine therapy, at the conclusion of the continuation phase of treatment, or while in a medication-free state of remission. Blunted prolactin response to clomipramine challenge persists in depressed patients after recovery from acute illness, and may reflect an underlying biological vulnerability.

Adult↗