While caffeine withdrawal has been well-characterized, research on caffeine intake and factors associated with withdrawal has been limited. The present study examined prevalence rates of caffeine use and identified psychosocial factors associated with having caffeine withdrawal headaches (CWH). Participants were N = 1,989 college freshmen who participated in the 2011 Spit for Science project. Caffeine use was reported by 80% of the sample. Females were more likely than males to consume caffeine, and soda was the primary source of caffeine for both genders. As hypothesized, daily caffeine users were more likely to report CWH than non-daily users. When multivariable analyses examined other variables identified through univariable analyses, the most parsimonious model for distinguishing between those with and without CWH included the following set of predictor variables: daily caffeine use; female; non-white minority; peers with alcohol problems; greater neuroticism, and those reporting maternal depression or anxiety.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) lead to high risk behaviors in adults. In 2015, an estimated 700,000 children reported abuse; 8.4% reported experiencing sexual abuse. In 2014, nearly 10,000 people died from alcohol-related motor vehicle injuries, and >1.1 million were arrested for driving under alcohol or narcotic influence. Studies have reported the role of ACEs in alcohol consumption among adults. However, the association between adult drunk driving (DD) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has not been investigated. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the association between CSA and DD in US adults. Methods: Data were obtained from 4,374,390 adults who participated in the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Participants’ self-reported responses were used to define past experience for DD (no/yes) and CSA (no/yes). Covariates included age, sex, race, income, education, marital status and parental substance abuse. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the relative odds of DD among victims of CSA adjusting for covariates. Results: Approximately 3.6% of adults reported DD, and 11.1% adults experienced CSA. Compared to adults who didn’t experience CSA, those who experienced CSA were significantly associated with increased odds of DD behavior (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.27-2.20). Compared to females, males who experienced child sexual abuse were 2.88 times more likely to DD (aOR: 2.88, 95% CI: 2.32-3.59). Conclusion: CSA is significantly associated with DD behavior in adults. Higher estimates of the relationship were identified in males. Future studies, such as prospective cohort studies, are imperative for further evaluation. These findings aided in identifying adults with CSA experience to target and minimize their DD behavior, thus preventing alcohol-related injuries. Public Health Implications: Adults who experienced CSA were associated with increased odds of DD behavior. A multifaceted approach involving several stakeholders at all levels of governance is needed to address this issue. Appropriate public health interventions and/or policies should be developed to prevent sexual abuses during childhood. Health education and promotional campaigns are vital to minimize drunk driving cases by targeting communities and individuals with high risk behaviors.

Abstract available through Circulation.

AIM: To examine associations of prenatal maternal smoking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure with the development of adolescent obesity. METHODS: Longitudinal data (1991-2007) from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development involving mothers that smoked and or exposed to SHS during the year before birth were analysed. Adolescent obesity in ages 12.0-15.9 years was defined as a BMI ≥ 95th percentile. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used for the analyses. RESULTS: Obesity was more prevalent among adolescents whose mothers smoked or had SHS exposure than those that did not smoke or exposed to SHS. After adjusting for maternal and child factors, GEE models showed that odds of adolescent obesity increased with prenatal maternal smoking (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.03-2.39) and SHS exposure (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.04-2.27). The odds for obesity increased more than two times among adolescents exposed to both maternal smoking and SHS (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.24, 3.56) compared with those without exposure. Additionally, not breastfeeding, maternal obesity, and longer screen viewing hours per day were associated with increased odds of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: There is possibly a long-term joint effect of prenatal maternal smoke (smoking and SHS) exposure on obesity among adolescent offspring, and the effect is independent of birthweight. These findings suggest that adolescent obesity could possibly be curtailed with the development and promotion of smoking cessation programmes for families during the year before birth.

Background: In 2012, 62,939 cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) were reported in the United States (US). During the same year, binge drinking (BD) cost the US nearly $250 billion. Currently there are 38 million Americans who participate in BD. Researchers have found a significant association between adults who experienced adverse childhood events (ACEs) and BD in adulthood. However, CSA and BD have yet to be investigated using a nationally representative study sample. Objective: This study seeks to investigate the association between CSA and BD among adults in the US. Methods: Data from 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used to analyze a sample of 25,037 adult participants from states that included the ACE questionnaire in the survey. CSA components, including forced touched sexually, forced to touch sexually, and forced sex, were assessed in relation to BD. Covariates included parental alcoholism, parental substance abuse, parental depression, age, sex, income, race, education level, and marital status. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were conducted using SAS 9.4. Results: Approximately 17% of the study sample reported BD. Adults who had been touched forcefully during their childhood had around 2.18 times increased odds (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.97 – 2.41) of being involved in BD compared to those who did not have this experience. Being forced to touch sexually or forced to have sex during childhood was not significantly associated with BD and was not included in the adjusted model. Having parents who abused drugs (aOR 6.14; 95%CI: 5.56–6.79) and parents who were depressed (aOR: 3.35; 95%CI: 3.09-3.64) significantly increased the odds of BD among this population. Conclusion: Forced sexual touch was found to be significantly associated with BD. Further epidemiologic studies are necessary to determine if this is consistent in different years for the association between CSA and BD, since forced to touch sexually and forced sex were not found to impact BD in adults. The increased odds for BD from experiencing forced touch identifies a population where health education and awareness is vital to reduce the risk for BD in adults, thus reducing alcohol-related health problems and injuries. Health promotion campaigns for families affected by parental substance abuse and parental depression is also important to reduce the risk for BD among adults growing up with these experiences.

The physical effects of substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) are well known, but it is not clear whether the use of these substances can be a warning sign for psychological or emotional problems in high school students. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a nationwide survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every other year which asks students questions about risk behaviors such as substance use, sexual activity, the amount of violence in their lives, and suicide attempts. We examined students who were involved in the use of substances more commonly found in high schools (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) to see if they were significantly more likely to attempt suicide than their peers who were not involved in this type of activity. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed on the 2013 Nationwide YRBS data (n = 13,583) to examine this effect while controlling for the following possible covariates: depression, gender, age, race, lack of sleep, and access to weapons. Results of this analysis showed a significant increase in suicide attempts among students who used tobacco and marijuana (OR = 1.987, 95%CI = 1.638, 2.411; OR = 1.273, 95%CI = 1.038, 1.561, respectively). However, the results of this analysis did not show a significant increase in suicide attempts for students that consumed alcohol. It was interesting to see that while possession and use of marijuana for a high school student is a more highly punishable crime, tobacco use is a better indicator for possible attempts at suicide. While there are many variables at play when it comes to substance use and suicide risk, these results indicate that students who are identified as users of tobacco and marijuana should be looked at more closely as they represent a population more susceptible to attempting suicide.

Aims: We have established that neonatal treatment with quinpirole, a dopamine D2/D3 agonist, results in increases of dopamine D2 receptor sensitivity throughout the animal’s lifetime and has a number of consistencies with schizophrenia. Aim 1: Analyze the roles of α7 and α4β2 nicotinic receptors in nicotine sensitization in adolescent male and female rats neonatally treated with quinpirole. Aim 2: The roles of the α7 and α4β2 nicotinic receptors were analyzed in their effects on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in rats neonatally treated with quinpirole and sensitized to nicotine. Methods: Animals were neonatally treated with quinpirole or saline from postnatal days (P)1-21. Beginning on P33, animals were ip injected with nicotine (0.5 mg/kg free base) or saline and tested every second day from P33-49. Approximately 15-30 min before the nicotine or saline injection, animals were ip injected with either the α7 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) antagonist methllycacontine (MLA; 2 or 4 mgkg) or the α4β2 nAChR antagonist dihyro-β (DhβE; 1 or 2.5 mg/kg) erythrodine. Brain tissue was taken 24 h after the last day of testing. Results: Neonatal quinpirole enhanced nicotine sensitization and DhβE blocked nicotine sensitization regardless of neonatal treatment and was more effective in blocking sensitization in males versus females. MLA failed to block nicotine sensitization. Howeer, MLA blocked the acute hypoactive response to nicotine in males, and the higher dose of MLA reduced sensitization in males. Neonatal quinpirole sensitized the accumbal BDNF response to nicotine, but neonatal quinpirole resulted in a decrease of mTOR in both brain areas. Conclusions: The α4β2 receptor plays a critical role in adolescent nicotine sensitization. Interstingly, the α7 nAChR appears to be important in the acute response to nicotine and is more important in nicotine sensitization in males. Both nAChRs appear to be important in accumbal BDNF and their roles will be analyzed in the mTOR response.

Our laboratory has reported neonatal quinpirole (D2/D3 agonist) treatment to rats increases dopamine D2 receptor sensitivity that persists throughout the animal's lifetime. This model appears to have clinical relevance to schizophrenia, and smoking is common in this population. Male and female Sprague-dawley rats were neonatally treated with quinpirole from postnatal (P) days 1–21. After habituation from P30 to 32, animals were administered saline or nicotine (0.3, 0.5, or 0.7mg/kg free base) every other day from P33 to 49 and locomotor activity was assessed. Generally, animals neonatally treated with quinpirole and administered nicotine during adolescence demonstrated increased behavioral activity and/or sensitization compared to animals neonatally given saline and sensitized to nicotine as well as controls. However, animals neonatally treated with quinpirole and given the 0.7mg/kg dose of nicotine demonstrated elevated activity throughout testing but did not show sensitization, and only mild sex differences were reported. Therefore, microdialysis was performed on male rats sensitized to the 0.5mg/kg dose of nicotine, and results revealed that neonatal quinpirole sensitized dopamine overflow in response to nicotine to 500% above animals neonatally given saline and sensitized to nicotine at peak levels. In addition, neonatal quinpirole increased the accumbal BDNF in response to nicotine compared to all other groups, and nicotine alone also produced significant increases in striatal and accumbal BDNF. This study reveals that neonatal quinpirole enhanced adolescent nicotine sensitization, accumbal dopamine overflow, and BDNF protein in response to nicotine, which may be related to changes in the brain's reward system.

No description available.

This study analyzed the interaction of adolescent methylphenidate on the behavioral response to nicotine and the effects of these drug treatments on brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were intraperitoneal administered 1 mg/kg methylphenidate or saline using a “school day” regimen (five days on, two days off) beginning on postnatal day (P)28 and throughout behavioral testing. In Experiment 1, animals were intraperitoneal administered 0.5 mg/kg (free base) nicotine or saline every second day for 10 days from P45–P63 and tested after a three-day drug washout on the forced swim stress task on P67–P68. Results revealed that adolescent methylphenidate blunted nicotine behavioral sensitization. However, methylphenidate-treated rats given saline during sensitization demonstrated decreased latency to immobility and increased immobility time on the forced swim stress task in males that was reduced by nicotine. In Experiment 2, a different set of animals were conditioned to nicotine (0.6 mg/kg free base) or saline using the conditioned place preference behavioral paradigm from P44–P51, and given a preference test on P52. On P53, the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus were analyzed for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Methylphenidate enhanced nicotine-conditioned place preference in females and nicotine produced conditioned place preference in males and females pre-exposed to saline in adolescence. In addition, methylphenidate and nicotine increased nucleus accumbens brain-derived neurotrophic factor in females and methylphenidate enhanced hippocampus brain-derived neurotrophic factor in males and females. Methylphenidate adolescent exposure using a clinically relevant dose and regimen results in changes in the behavioral and brain-derived neurotrophic factor responses to nicotine in adolescence that are sex-dependent.