Lower Cortisol Activity is Associated with First-Time Driving while Impaired.

Subst Abuse

Addiction Research Program, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ; Foster Addiction Rehabilitation Centre, St. Philippe de Laprairie, Quebec, Canada.

Published: April 2015

Driving while impaired (DWI) is a grave and persistent high-risk behavior. Previous work demonstrated that DWI recidivists had attenuated cortisol reactivity compared to non-DWI drivers. This suggests that cortisol is a neurobiological marker of high-risk driving. The present study tested the hypothesis that this initial finding would extend to first-time DWI (fDWI) offenders compared to non-DWI drivers. Male fDWI offenders (n = 139) and non-DWI drivers (n = 31) were exposed to a stress task, and their salivary cortisol activity (total output and reactivity) was measured. Participants also completed questionnaires on sensation seeking, impulsivity, substance use, and engagement in risky and criminal behaviors. As hypothesized, fDWI offenders, compared to non-DWI drivers, had lower cortisol reactivity; fDWI offenders also showed lower total output. In addition, cortisol activity was the most important predictor of group membership, after accounting for alcohol misuse patterns and consequences and other personality and problem behavior characteristics. The findings indicate that attenuated cortisol activity is an independent factor associated with DWI offending risk at an earlier stage in the DWI trajectory than previously detected.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4384759PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4137/SART.S21353DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cortisol activity
16
non-dwi drivers
16
fdwi offenders
16
compared non-dwi
12
lower cortisol
8
driving impaired
8
attenuated cortisol
8
cortisol reactivity
8
offenders compared
8
total output
8

Similar Publications

Salivary cortisol and affective responses to acute psychosocial stress among adolescents.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

December 2024

University of California, Irvine, Department of Psychological Science, Irvine, CA, USA; University of California Los Angeles, Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Background: Acute psychosocial stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and triggers the release of cortisol, a commonly used biomarker of stress reactivity. Yet only 25 % of studies have reported a correlation between cortisol and affective responses to stress. This study aimed to examine whether cortisol reactivity following an acute psychosocial stressor in the laboratory correlated with concurrent positive and negative affect in adolescents, and whether early life adversity (ELA) moderated this relationship.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This case report describes an adult man in his 50s with a history of type 2 diabetes and previously well-controlled hypertension, who presented with uncontrolled hypertension, muscle weakness and fatigue. Biochemical testing revealed hypokalaemia. There was no evidence of renal/renovascular disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This review demonstrates the value of central pharmacodynamics (PD), including positron emission tomography (PET) and computerized cognitive testing, to supplement pharmacokinetic (PK) and peripheral PD for determining the target dose range for clinical efficacy testing of emestedastat, an 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) inhibitor. Combined data from 6 clinical trials in cognitively normal volunteers and patients with Alzheimer disease included a population PK model, endocrine PD, a human PET trial (11β-HSD1 brain imaging), and computerized cognitive testing. PK and PET findings were similar in volunteers and patients with Alzheimer disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The current study had aimed to assess the long-term dietary supplementation with Melaleucae aetheroleum, tea tree essential oil (TTO). The impact on growth performance, biochemical indices, immune function, oxidant/antioxidant activity, gene expression, histopathology, and resistance against Aeromonas sobria in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was investigated. Four groups (with five replicates; G1 (control group, G2, G3, and G4) of Nile tilapia received diets enriched with TTO (doses of 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The complex relationship among sleep, exercise, and the gut microbiome presents a unique opportunity to improve health and wellness. Here, we conducted the first large-scale investigation into the influence of a novel elite athlete-derived probiotic, consisting of a multi-strain Lactobacillus consortium, on sleep quality, exercise recovery, and gut microbiome composition in both elite athletes (n = 11) and the general population (n = 257).

Results: Our two-phase study design, which included an open-label study followed by a controlled longitudinal study in a professional soccer team, allowed us to identify key interactions between probiotics, the gut microbiome, and the host.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!