The Stress-Hormone System in Alcohol-Dependent Subjects

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis provides a key biologic link between the brain and the body's behavioral and physiologic responses to stress, recovery, and adaptation. Both mental trauma and chronic alcohol use may produce disturbances in the HPA response to stress. Thus, changes in this system during a period when there is no alcohol intake may impair the body's ability to mount an appropriate response to environmental stressors, heightening the probability of additional alcohol intake. However, the relationship between trauma, stress, and HPA axis disturbances requires further study. In this study, the NIH investigators will attempt to determine if the sensitivity of glucocorticoid gene induction varies with stress. Blood samples will be obtained at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (TSMC) in collaboration with the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center (VA) at Dallas, Texas under a protocol and consent forms approved by TSMC IRB. Only samples collected as described in the TSMC protocol will be studied at NIH.