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OBJECTIVE The ratio of 2nd to 4th digit length (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic trait. Men have a relatively shorter second digit than fourth digit. This ratio is thought to be influenced by higher prenatal testosterone level or greater sensitivity to androgen. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between alcohol dependence and 2D:4D in a Korean sample and whether 2D:4D can be a biologic marker in alcohol dependence. METHODS In this study, we recruited 87 male patients with alcohol dependence from the alcohol center of one psychiatric hospital and 52 healthy male volunteers who were all employees in the same hospital as controls. We captured images of the right and left hands of patients and controls using a scanner and extracted data with a graphics program. We measured the 2D:4D of each hand and compared the alcohol dependence group with the control group. We analyzed these ratios using an independent-samples t-test. RESULTS The mean 2D:4D of patients was 0.934 (right hand) and 0.942 (left hand), while the mean 2D:4D of controls was 0.956 (right hand) and 0.958 (left hand). Values for both hands were significantly lower for patients than controls (p

Background As a neurotoxic substance, alcohol can induce neurodegenesis in the brain. Alcohol-dependent patients’ cognitive functioning can be affected by chronic alcohol use. In addition, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to reflect the status of neuroadaptive changes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive functions and BDNF in alcohol-dependent patients. Methods The subjects were 39 alcohol-dependent patients. BDNF was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. We examined clinical features and administered the Korean version of Alcohol Dependence Scale. We also used the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) to measure cognitive functioning. Then, we determined the relationships between BDNF and various parts of the CERAD. Results The performance of alcohol-dependent patients proved stable in most parts of the CERAD. Within the different parts of the CERAD, only Trail Making Test B correlated with BDNF. Trail Making Test specifically assesses executive functions. Conclusions BDNF might play an important role in the detection of neurocognitive function among individuals with alcohol dependence.

Studies in alcohol-dependent patients show that cognitive function can be influenced by chronic use of alcohol. Alcohol is a known neurotoxin that induces neurodegeneration in the brain. Although there are various causes of cognitive deficiency in alcohol-dependent patients, in this study we focus on the role of corticosteroids. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system (i.e., the HPA axis) plays a part in the control of corticosteroids. Recent studies show that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) reflects the status of growth hormones under the action of the HPA axis. Therefore, IGF-1 is a potential indicator that reflects activity of the HPA axis, and a biomarker that may reflect the decline of cognitive function associated with alcohol-induced hypercortisolism. The purposes of this study are to identify an association between cognitive function and IGF-1, and to investigate IGF as the biological marker of cognitive decline in alcohol-dependent patients. Forty alcohol-dependent patients were selected as the subjects of this study. IGF-1 was measured through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical features were examined using the Korean version of the alcohol dependence scale (ADS-K). Cognitive functions were measured using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Comparative analysis was utilized to identify an association between CERAD measurement items and IGF-1. Alcohol-dependent patients demonstrated stable performance of most of the CERAD measures. Among the measures of the CERAD, only trail making test A showed a correlation to IGF-1. Compared to trail making test B, trail making test A is assumed to reflect basic cognitive functions including psychomotor speed, visual search and sequencing in alcohol-dependent patients, regardless of demographic characteristics such as the level of education of patients. Therefore, IGF-1 seems to play an important role in detecting the decline of basic cognitive functions in alcohol-dependent patients.

Changwoo Han,1 Hwallip Bae,2 Sung-Doo Won,3 Jaeyoung Lim,3 Dai-Jin Kim41Department of Psychiatry, Ansan Hospital, College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan, 2Department of Psychiatry, Myongji Hospital, College of Medicine, Seonam University, Goyang, 3Department of Clinical Psychology, Keyo Hospital, Keyo Medical Foundation, Uiwang, 4Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of KoreaAbstract: Alcohol dependence is a disorder ascribable to multiple factors and leads to cognitive impairment. Given that insulin dysregulation can cause cognitive impairment, patients with alcohol dependence are likely to develop insulin dysregulation such as that in diabetes. The purposes of this study are to identify an association between cognitive functioning and insulin and to investigate insulin as the biomarker of cognitive functioning in alcohol-dependent patients. Serum insulin levels were measured and cognitive functions were assessed in 45patients with chronic alcoholism. The Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD-K), a battery of cognitive function tests, was used to assess cognitive functioning. Serum insulin levels were not significantly correlated with most CERAD-K scores, but there was a significant negative correlation with scores on the Trail Making Test B, which is designed to measure executive functioning. Lower serum insulin levels were associated with slower executive functioning responses on the Trail Making Test B, suggesting that executive functioning may be in proportion to serum insulin levels. Thus, in patients with alcohol dependence, insulin level is associated with cognitive functioning. In addition, the present findings suggest that insulin level is a potential biomarker for determining cognitive functioning.Keywords: insulin, alcohol dependence, executive function, trail making test