The long-term objective of this research is to identify genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of drug abuse, leading to rational intervention and preventative measures based on biologic and psychosocial factors and their interaction.
The specific aims of the project are to study in an adoption design genetic factors making for high risk of drug abuse (alcohol abuse and antisocial personality in biologic parents) as well as a wide variety of environmental factors in the adoptive environment and their interaction. A sample of adoptees, separated at birth from biologic family and placed with non-relatives will be personally interviewed with the DIS as adults to determine drug abuse, other relevant psychiatric conditions as alcohol abuse and antisocial personality. One hundred adoptees will come from high risk backgrounds (50 from biologic parents with alcohol abuse/dependency and 50 from antisocial parent) . Biologic parents will be diagnosed from hospital records. These hundred high risk adoptees will be age and sex matched to a control group of one hundred adoptees whose biologic parents have no evidence of hospital treatment for alcoholism or antisocial personality and whose adoption agency records do not indicate behavioral or psychiatric problems. Adoptive parents will be interviewed to provide further behavioral information about the adoptee and his/her environment. Environmental factors will be measured by three structured interviews administered to adoptive parents and/or adoptee. Interviews will be conducted by research personnel who are blind to biologic risk factors. Correlations between genetic and environmental factors and outcome variables of substance abuse and antisocial personality will be measured in log-linear models, and with logistic regression.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01DA005821-01
Application #
3212353
Study Section
Drug Abuse Epidemiology and Prevention Research Review Committee (DAPA)
Project Start
1989-08-01
Project End
1993-07-31
Budget Start
1989-08-01
Budget End
1990-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Iowa
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041294109
City
Iowa City
State
IA
Country
United States
Zip Code
52242
Paradiso, Sergio; Caspers, Kristin; Tranel, Daniel et al. (2011) Cognition and nondysphoric depression among adoptees at high risk for psychopathology. Compr Psychiatry 52:498-506
Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Caspers, Kristin et al. (2011) DRD4 genotype moderates the impact of parental problems on unresolved loss or trauma. Attach Hum Dev 13:253-69
Caspers, Kristin M; Arndt, Stephan (2010) Birth Outcomes, Lifetime Alcohol Dependence and Cognition in Middle Adulthood. J Addict Res Ther 1:
van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Caspers, Kristin; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J et al. (2010) Methylation matters: interaction between methylation density and serotonin transporter genotype predicts unresolved loss or trauma. Biol Psychiatry 68:405-7
Caspers, Kristin; Arndt, Stephan; Yucuis, Rebecca et al. (2010) Effects of alcohol- and cigarette-use disorders on global and specific measures of cognition in middle-age adults. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 71:192-200
Caspers, Kristin M; Paradiso, Sergio; Yucuis, Rebecca et al. (2009) Association between the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and adult unresolved attachment. Dev Psychol 45:64-76
Spinks, Ruth; McKirgan, Lowell W; Arndt, Stephan et al. (2009) IQ estimate smackdown: comparing IQ proxy measures to the WAIS-III. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 15:590-6
Caspers, Kristin M; Yucuis, Rebecca; McKirgan, Lowell M et al. (2009) Lifetime substance misuse and 5-year incidence rates of emergent health problems among middle-aged adults. J Addict Dis 28:320-31
Caspers, Kristin; Yucuis, Rebecca; Troutman, Beth et al. (2007) A sibling adoption study of adult attachment: the influence of shared environment on attachment states of mind. Attach Hum Dev 9:375-91
Spinks, Ruth; Caspers, Kristin; Langbehn, Doug et al. (2007) Co-morbid health conditions at mid-life in the Iowa adoptees. Addict Behav 32:991-1002

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