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Biomedical subjects

M E McCaul

Publications and source records attributed to M E McCaul.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Alcohol and secobarbital effects as a function of familial alcoholism: extended intoxication and increased withdrawal effects.

Response differences following administration of alcohol between adult males with a positive (FHP) versus negative (FHN) family history of alcoholism have been demonstrated in previous research and are thought to be related to risk for developing alcoholism. If this is so, the pharmacological breadth of addiction risk conferred by a positive family alcoholism history might be studied by determining whether FHP subjects show different responses than FHN to drug classes other than alcohol. We have previously reported on the acute effects of ethanol as compared with secobarbital in FHP and FHN subjects and found that FHP subjects showed greater sensitivity across a variety of subjective measures than FHN subjects for both drug classes. The data reported here are based on an extended data collection period of 3 to 18 hr postingestion, following completion of the acute laboratory portion of the study. Specifically, in the present study, dose-effect timecourse functions for a variety of physiological (heart rate, blood pressure, and breath alcohol level), subjective (analog mood, drug effect, and withdrawal, Subjective High Assessment Scale (SHAS], and psychomotor measures (Digit Symbol Substitution Test and numeric recall) were examined in FHP and FHN college-aged males for secobarbital (0, 100, 200 mg daily) and ethanol (1 g/kg daily). FHP and FHN subjects were matched on light-to-moderate drinking patterns, anthropometric dimensions, age, years of schooling, and drug use. FHP subjects reported more extended intoxication and greater withdrawal effects following both ethanol and the high dose of secobarbital than did FHN subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Improving client compliance in outpatient treatment: counselor-targeted interventions.

Earlier research has demonstrated the need for more effective strategies to increase treatment compliance, particularly in drug-free treatment programs. This need is particularly acute given the increased admissions of patients who use multiple drugs. Most efforts in this area have utilized client-targeted interventions to increase participation levels and length of retention. Thus, based on the studies cited in this chapter, counselor-targeted interventions may offer a cost-effective and potent alternative or adjunct to client-targeted interventions that should be the focus of future research.

Counseling↗
PubMed1991

Pregnancy and addiction: outcomes and interventions.

Cocaine use by pregnant women has increased dramatically in recent years, resulting in well-documented consequences for mothers and offspring. However, even a once weekly peer-oriented intervention can have a positive impact on pregnancy outcome for drug-using women.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Alcohol and drug use by college males as a function of family alcoholism history.

Family history of alcoholism increases the risk for development of alcoholism in male offspring. The present questionnaire study examined self-reported alcohol and drug use in 744 college males as a function of DSM-IIIR alcohol dependence diagnoses in first- and/or second-degree biological relatives. Substance use was most prevalent and most frequent in students with both first- and second-degree alcohol-dependent family members, was intermediate in students with only first-degree affected relatives, and was least in students with no affected relatives. Students with both first- and second-degree alcohol-dependent relatives reported: more alcohol, marijuana, sedative, and cocaine ingestion; a younger age at first alcohol intoxication and first marijuana use; experience with less commonly used drugs; and more personal substance-related problems as well as more family mental health care. These data have significant prevention implications for targeting at-risk youth.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Alcohol and secobarbital effects as a function of familial alcoholism: acute psychophysiological effects.

Previous research has demonstrated response differences following administration of alcohol between adult males with a positive (FHP) versus negative (FHN) family history of alcoholism. These response differences are thought to reflect differences in vulnerability to dependence on alcohol. Thus, the role of positive family alcoholism history in increasing risk of addiction to a variety of drug classes might be studied by determining whether FHP subjects show different responses to drug classes other than alcohol. This was done in the present study by determining dose-effect functions for a variety of physiological (heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature), subjective (analog mood and drug effect, Subjective High Assessment Scale), and psychomotor measures (hand tremor, body sway, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, eye-hand coordination, and numeric recall) in FHP and FHN college-aged males for secobarbital (0, 100, 200 mg by mouth) and ethanol (1 g/kg). FHP and FHN subjects were matched on light-to-moderate drinking patterns, anthropometric dimensions, age, years of schooling, and drug use. At equivalent blood alcohol levels family-history positive subjects reported greater effects of ethanol than did family-history negative subjects on almost all subjective measures. Following the high dose of secobarbital, FHP but not FHN subjects showed elevated subjective effects; these effects were substantially less and were evident in fewer measures than following ethanol. In contrast to effects on the subjective measures, ethanol and secobarbital produced comparable impairment in both groups of subjects for most psychomotor responses. Group differences were not obtained on any physiological measures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Psychophysiological effects of alcohol-related stimuli: I. The role of stimulus intensity.

The present study extends previous research on conditioning factors in the physiological and subjective responses to naturalistic alcohol-related stimuli. Specifically, the effects of differential alcohol ingestion histories and of stimulus intensity were examined on the occurrence of conditioned responses in the laboratory. Twelve alcoholic subjects and twelve moderate drinkers participated in a single experimental session consisting of randomized presentations of three types of stimulus trials. Each trial included gustatory and visual presentation of alcohol, pepper juice (as a control for stimulus intensity) or water. Both alcohol and pepper juice stimuli significantly increased heart rate and skin conductance responses as compared with water stimuli. In contrast, subjects significantly increased self-report ratings of high and feel different following alcohol stimuli only. Physiological and subjective responses were similar in alcoholics and social drinkers with the exception of significantly higher self-reported craving in alcoholic subjects. These findings suggest that stimulus intensity contributes to the magnitude of physiological but not subjective responses to alcohol-related stimuli.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Psychophysiological effects of alcohol-related stimuli: II. Enhancement with alcohol availability.

This laboratory study examined methods of enhancing physiological and subjective responses of alcoholics to naturalistic alcohol-related stimuli by repeated exposures to a high-dose alcohol drink. Individual subjects participated in five successive daily sessions consisting of randomized-block presentations of gustatory and visual presentation of alcohol, pepper juice (as a control for stimulus taste intensity), or water stimuli. Following the stimulus trial series, all subjects ingested 1.5 oz of alcohol in a shot glass. Twelve subjects next received a 1.7 g/kg alcohol drink ("high dose alcohol group") on Days 1-4 and placebo on Day 5, and 12 subjects received a placebo drink on all study Days (1-5) ("placebo drink group"). On Day 1, alcohol stimuli generally elicited larger heart rate and skin conductance increases and skin temperature decreases than water or pepper juice stimuli. Alcohol stimuli also elicited greater subjective responses than either pepper juice or water. Alcohol availability within the taste trial markedly increased physiological and subjective reactivity to alcohol-related stimuli, perhaps due to the closer approximation to natural drinking behavior. A comparison with previous data from this laboratory suggests that prestudy deprivation from alcohol, instructions to expect alcohol, a conductive drink setting, and the opportunity to drink alcohol within the session may enhance reactivity to alcohol stimuli in alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Conditioned opponent responses: effects of placebo challenge in alcoholic subjects.

The present study continues a series of studies examining a number of variables that contribute to the demonstration of conditioned responses to alcohol in alcoholics. We pursued here the hypothesis that subjects receiving placebo in an environment previously associated with alcohol ingestion would exhibit conditioned responses as compared with subjects who had only received placebo in the environment. Further, we predicted that these conditioned responses would be opposite in direction to responses obtained during active drink sessions. Twelve subjects received active alcohol during session Days 1 through 4 and a placebo challenge on Day 5; the second group received placebo throughout sessions 1 through 5. On Day 1, heart rate and skin conductance were elevated following active alcohol ingestion as compared with placebo. On Day 5 following the placebo challenge, these physiological responses were significantly lower in the alcohol group as compared with the placebo group; the reversal of effects on Day 5 is suggestive of conditioned compensatory responses. Also, following the placebo on Day 5, desire to drink scores of the alcohol group were greater than those of the placebo group. The present data suggest that subjects exhibit conditioned compensatory responses when the environment signals alcohol availability. Results are consistent with Siegel's model of conditioned compensatory responses to repeated drug administration, and may help to account for some aspects of tolerance development and conditioned withdrawal.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Psychophysiological effects of oral ethanol in alcoholics and social drinkers.

The acute and extended effects of ethanol ingestion were examined in five alcoholic subjects, and five "social" drinkers. Six physiological and four subjective report measures were taken before, during and up to 90 min after the ingestion of ethanol in three doses and placebo. Findings showed that alcohol exerted significant dose-related physiological effects in the initial minutes of ingestion, and in extended analyses of physiological and subjective measures in both groups of drinkers. Alcoholics and social drinkers generally did not differ in their physiological responses to alcohol doses and placebo, while some evidence for tolerance to reported euphoric effects of alcohol in the alcoholic subjects was found. The possibility is raised that early physiological responses observed during ethanol ingestion may arise not only from pharmacological effects of the drink, but may also be evidence for conditional predrink responses.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Pupillary response to methadone challenge in heroin users.

The relationship between self-reported illicit heroin use and pupillary response to a low-dose methadone challenge was examined in 28 men beginning methadone therapy for opiate dependence. Pupil diameter was assessed before and 60, 90, and 120 minutes after a 20 mg methadone dose on day 1 of treatment. Self-reports of opiate drug effects were also taken at these times. There was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.53) between pupillary constriction 120 minutes after drug dosing and the average dollar value of subjects' reported heroin use per week. In other words, those who showed the least pupillary constriction generally reported the highest amount of illicit heroin use. Total years since first opiate use was also a significant predictor of pupillary response (r = -0.46). Self-reported amount of heroin use and years since first opiate use together accounted for 60% of the total variance in pupillary response to the challenge (Mult r = 0.77). Pupillary response to a low-dose methadone challenge appears to be a clinically practical and objective method for determining opiate tolerance levels in applicants for methadone therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Behavior therapy in drug abuse treatment: review and evaluation.

The goal of drug abuse treatment is to decrease the dominance of drug-related behaviors while enhancing the dominance of alternative socially acceptable behaviors. The behavioral techniques of extinction, satiation, and punishment can be used to suppress undesirable behaviors, and reinforcement can be used to enhance desirable behaviors. Methadone maintenance offers unique advantages for treatment of opiate abuse since methadone satiates the drug abuser, thereby reducing the reinforcing efficacy of illicit opiate drugs, while also serving as a reinforcer whose delivery in the treatment setting can be used in contingent arrangements. Short-term efficacy has been demonstrated in studies that used contingent treatment termination or contingent dose decreases as punishing events and contingent dose increases or contingent take-home privileges as reinforcing events to promote reductions in drug use and cooperation with clinic rules. Systematic use of dose adjustments and take-home privileges may be a useful adjunct to methadone maintenance treatment, having a positive impact both on client outcomes and clinic operation. Rehabilitation efforts might also benefit if delivery of reinforcers available at the clinic is contingent upon participation in skills training and therapy programs or community activities outside the drug abuse clinic.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1984

Hydromorphone effects on human conversational speech.

The present study provides an objective assessment of the increased talkativeness associated with acute opiate drug administration. Speech of five methadone-maintenance subjects was recorded continuously for 1 h following the injection of 0, 10, 14, or 18 mg hydromorphone. Dose-related increases in subjects' speech were observed, while no systematic changes were seen in speech of an undrugged partner. Dose-related increases were also obtained on an adjective checklist measuring characteristic opiate signs and symptoms. The relationship between behavioral, subjective, and reinforcing drug effects is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Chronic opiate use during methadone detoxification: effects of a dose increase treatment.

The effects of administering high methadone doses during detoxification treatment were examined on illicit opiate use and treatment retention in chronic opiate supplementors. Twenty-six applicants to a 90-day outpatient detoxification program who delivered 50% or more opiate-positive urine samples during treatment weeks 2 and 3 were randomly assigned to receive a constant 30-mg dose through treatment week 10 or an increase to 60 mg in week 4 with gradual reduction to 30 mg by week 10. Dosage for both groups was reduced to 0 mg during weeks 11-13. Treatment retention was better for experimental (median = 86 days) than for control (median = 41 days) subjects, but the difference was not statistically significant. In the dose increase group, percent opiate-positive urines decreased from 80% to 62% during the first two weeks of dose increase (t = 2.39, P less than 0.05); opiate positive rates for the control group remained above 80%. A 20% between group difference in percent of opiate positive urine tests persisted through study week 10 in subjects (N = 5 control, 7 experimental) who remained in treatment this long. Although the blind dose increase did improve treatment outcome, we concluded that the magnitude of the effect in this population of chronic opiate supplementors was insufficient to judge the procedure clinically useful.

Adult↗