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Biomedical subjects

C A Haertzen

Publications and source records attributed to C A Haertzen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

The psychopharmacologic and prolactin response after large doses of naloxone in man.

Large doses of naloxone (150-300 mg), placebo, and morphine (15-30 mg) were given intramuscularly to human volunteers and compared using measures of subjective feeling states, physiological measures and discriminative features. Plasma prolactin responses after naloxone 210 mg and placebo were compared. The subjective measures and discriminative features of naloxone revealed that the drug is subtly psychoactive but the stimulus is vague and cannot be identified clearly as an opioid agonist or antagonist in nondependent opioid-using volunteers. The physiologic and prolactin responses closely resembled opiate agonist activity. We conclude that naloxone in this dose range may act as an opiate agonist in man.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Nitrite inhalants: patterns of abuse in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Nitrite inhalants, as drugs of abuse, have received a new prominence in the literature since their use has been associated with Kaposi's Sarcoma and possibly other manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Changes in patterns and prevalence of use have not been investigated since the onset of the AIDS epidemic. We have examined the abuse patterns of nitrite inhalants (poppers) in several different groups. The use of poppers among drug abusers in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has remained constant over the past 5 years, with the prevalence of use being approximately 11% for recreational drug users and 22% for heavy abusers. Self-reported use by a homosexual group had decreased over the same time period. Sixty-nine percent of the homosexual sample had experience with nitrities, but only 21% had used them in the 6 months prior to being surveyed. The mean interval since last use was 25 months, and since peak use, 4.1 years. Among substance abusers, nitrites appear to be a drug whose use starts late, with the mean age of first use being 25.6 years compared to 14.6 years for glue, 17.6 years for marijuana, and 18.5 years for heroin. We found both heterosexual and homosexual groups utilize nitrites primarily to "get high," but homosexuals more often use them during overt sexual activity. Experience with amyl nitrite was much more prevalent than that with the butyl derivative in both populations. We conclude that the prevalence of nitrite abuse among drug users has not changed as a result of the AIDS epidemic, but such use appears to have decreased within the homosexual community.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Simulation of gambling responses on the Addiction Research Center Inventory.

The present study investigated possible commonalities between compulsive gambling and abuse of psychoactive drugs. Nineteen volunteers with histories of compulsive gambling were tested twice using the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI): Once answering items as they felt at the time of the test, the other time simulating how they felt while winning at gambling. The main findings were that, as measured on the ARCI, "simulated winning at gambling" produced a euphoria similar to the euphoria induced by the psychoactive drugs of abuse, particularly psychomotor stimulants; secondly, that as a group, the pathological gamblers, demonstrated elevated psychopathy scale scores similar to psychopathy scores found among persons with histories of drug dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Human psychopharmacology of ketocyclazocine as compared with cyclazocine, morphine and placebo.

The activity of ketocyclazocine, a putative kappa opioid receptor agonist, was studied and compared with that of morphine, a mu opioid receptor agonist, and cyclazocine, a putative kappa and sigma opioid receptor agonist, vs. placebo in 10 drug abusers. The measures included vital signs and pupil measurements, established and new observer- and subject-completed psychopharmacologic questionnaires and several methods of drug discrimination. The results indicate that ketocyclazocine is different from morphine-like agonists in that it produces only minimal miosis and lacks euphoriant action. It causes a dysphoric state and was clearly discriminated from morphine. The dysphoria and pattern of responses was similar to cyclazocine though ketocyclazocine was discriminated from cyclazocine. This is consistent with the concept that morphine and ketocyclazocine have separate modes of primary activity. The similarity between ketocyclazocine and cyclazocine obscures the assignment of particular drug effects to activity at the kappa receptor.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Reinforcements from the first drug experience can predict later drug habits and/or addiction: results with coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, barbiturates, minor and major tranquilizers, stimulants, marijuana, hallucinogens, heroin, opiates and cocaine.

The relationship between the reinforcing quality of the first drug experiences and eventual habits for a variety of drugs was studied in 42 male drug abusers who were predominantly opiate addicts. These subjects volunteered for drug studies carried out by the Addiction Research Center. The degree of reinforcement they derived from their first drug experience was related to their subsequent habit. This was true for alcohol, barbiturates, minor tranquilizers, cocaine, stimulants, marijuana, glue or solvents, hallucinogens, opiates other than heroin and heroin. Positive but non-significant correlations were found for coffee and major tranquilizers. The correlation for cigarettes was contrary to expectations. Of the components to the index of reinforcement, degree of liking of a drug on the first occasion was most related to the subsequent habit. The greatest initial reinforcement scores were found for heroin, cocaine and opiates other than heroin. drugs which were not well liked on the first occasion included major tranquilizers, cigarettes, coffee, and glue.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Strength of drug habits: for heroin, morphine, methadone, alcohol, barbiturates, pentobarbital, benzedrine, cocaine, and marijuana.

The drug habits for 78 confirmed opiate addicts were studied on eight scales from the Process Association Test of Addiction (PATA) for many drug names. Through cluster analysis eight stages of addiction were defined: "to be clean", "to learn about drugs", "to hustle", "to chip" (also "to be high"), to be psychologically dependent or "to need a shot", "to be hooked" "to kick a habit" and "to be in treatment". Associations stimulated by the words heroin and morphine were very similar over the eight stages of addiction in opiate addicts. The subjects were especially inclined to associate morphine and heroin with the most severe level of addiction, "to be hooked". Associations to both methadone and cocaine were elevated at the "hooked" stage, but in other respects associations to these drugs were opposite. Thus, associations to cocaine were focused on the stage of psychological dependence and the lower intermediate stage of addiction, "to chip" and "to be high", whereas associations to methadone suggested a turning away from addiction as indicated by avoidance associations ("to come down" and "to kick a habit") as well as associations to "treatment" and "to be clean". Marijuana, Benzedrine, "goofball" (barbiturates) and alcohol habits were prominent at an intermediate stage of addiction ("to chip" and "to be high"). Avoidance associations were common for Benzedrine and "goofballs" (also pentobarbital) but not for marijuana or alcohol. "Hustling" associations were frequent for marijuana but not for alcohol.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Degree of suppression of associations to stages of addiction by the response of "high".

Male heroin or opiate addicts (N = 78) had a great inclination to give the association "to be high" to the names of nine drugs of abuse in a multiple-forced-choice association test irrespective of whether they had weak or strong habits for the drugs used as stimulus words. The tendency to give the "high" response was so great that other responses indicative of stages of addiction, steps in drug-taking, or drug effects were suppressed below the chance level. When scales were scored so that the response of "high" had no effect, the habit status of the sample revealed by associations with a specific set of words became clearer. A pattern of a strong habit for opiates evoked by opiate names became more evident after elimination of the effect of the response to "high," as did the strong habit pattern in response to drug relevant words. However, the pattern of responses characteristic of a nonaddictive status evoked by clean words remained relatively stable even including the effect of the response of "high." The study suggests that more meaningful responses are found when the response options are multiple rather than fixed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Variation in the suppression or enhancement of responses related to drug habits as a function of stimulus classes and competing response categories.

Male prisoners who were opiate addicts (N = 47) were given three Process Association Tests of Addiction containing stimuli which evoked responses characteristic of three levels of drug habits: beginning and ending stage of addiction, intermediate stage of addiction, and an advanced level of addiction. Each test required subjects to associate 278 word stimuli with one of five options which were randomly selected from among 20 options covering the stages of addiction, steps in drug taking, and drug effects. The purpose of the study was to determine whether responses to particular options suppressed or enhanced responses to other options. A strong interaction was found between the classes of stimuli and the response options which produced suppression or enhancement. This interaction made it possible to develop a suppression scale to measure the effect of each class of stimulus. Popular responses most frequently suppressed responses of other options. Thus, when the stimuli were clean, responses of "to be clean" and "to live a normal life," which are sensitive indicators of the beginning or ending stages of addiction , suppressed responses of other stages. The response of "to be high," a prime indicator of an intermediate habit, suppressed responses of other options when the stimuli were drug names. Responses of "to be hooked" and "to fix," which are specific indicators of a strong habit, and "to be high," which is a nonspecific indicator of a strong habit, suppressed responses of many other options. In the development of new association tests the analysis of suppression could provide a basis for selectively varying option groupings in order to increase or decrease the frequently of certain responses.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Measurement of strong and weak drug habits: associations to stages of addiction, steps in drug-taking, and drug effects in response to opiate names and nonopiate names.

Confirmed opiate addicts (N = 78) were asked to associate three opiate names (heroin, morphine, and methadone) and six nonopiate names [pentobarbital, alcohol, Benzedrine, "goofballs" (barbiturates), cocaine, and "reefers" (marijuana)] to stages of addiction, steps in drug taking, and drug effects. It was believed that associations to opiates would represent a strong habit since most of the subjects had been addicted ("hooked") on one or more opiates and that associations to nonopiates would indicate a weak habit as most of the subjects had never been "hooked" on nonopiates. Weak and strong habits were alike in that , regardless of the drug, associations to "high" were given. Beyond this similarity, the patterns of associations were qualitatively and quantitatively different. For example, a strong habit was characterized by associations to advanced stages of addiction ("hooked" and "kicking a habit"), to steps in drug-taking ("preparing" and "fixing a shot"), and to drug effects (to "nod" or "scratch"). A weak habit was marked by associations to intermediate stages of addiction such as "chipping" (occasional use of drugs), as well as to beginning stages of addiction and to beginning steps in drug-taking, such as to "hustle."

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Psychopathic State Inventory (PSI): development of a short test for measuring psychopathic states.

Six rational psychopathic state scales for Impulsivity, Egocentricity, Needs, Hypophoria (negative feeling states), Sociopathy, and High (search for "highs") were revised by selecting items within a rational category which most highly differentiated psychopaths as exemplified by opiate addicts (N = 28) and alcoholics (N = 53) from normals (N = 54) and which also most highly correlated with the parent rational scale or correlated most highly with the differentiating items. These procedures were effective in deriving scales which more highly differentiated alcoholics and addicts from normals and which were more reliable in each criterion group. It is thought that the scales will be useful in the study of the prevalence of or changes in psychopathic states.

Alcoholism↗