Personality and the Subjective Effects of Acute Amphetamine in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

Individual differences in the positive mood and other subjective effects of d-amphetamine have been linked to personality traits related to sensation seeking. The current study extends these associations to separate personality traits of reward sensitivity, physical fearlessness, and impulsivity. A total of 128 healthy volunteers received oral doses of d-amphetamine (10 and 20 mg) or placebo in counterbalanced order. Their responses to the drug were measured using the Profile of Mood States, Addiction Research Center Inventory, and Drug Effects Questionnaire. Participants completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Brief Form to assess personality traits related to reward sensitivity (Agentic Positive Emotionality and Social Potency (SP)), physical fear (Harm Avoidance (HA)), and impulsivity (Control (CL)). Participants were rank ordered on each trait, and individuals with scores in the top and bottom thirds of scores on each trait were compared using ANCOVA. High trait physical fearlessness (low HA) was associated with greater positive activational effects of 10 mg d-amphetamine. High trait reward sensitivity (high SP) was marginally associated with greater positive activational effects of 20 mg d-amphetamine. High trait impulsivity (low CL) was unrelated to positive drug effects in response either dose. The two separate personality traits of physical fearlessness and reward sensitivity are associated with d-amphetamine effects on mood in healthy volunteers. Implications for the vulnerability to psychostimulant addiction in healthy nonaddicts are discussed.

Reduced Subjective Response to Acute Ethanol Administration Among Young Men with a Broad Bipolar Phenotype

“…Participants rated their responses along a 100 mm line ranging from 'none/not at all' (0 mm) to 'a lot/very much'. The sensitivity of the DEQ across different psychoactive substances, including alcohol, has been demonstrated previously (Kirk and de Wit, 2000;White et al, 2005). The BAES is a 14-item adjective rating scale of alcohol's stimulant and sedative effects, with scale items ranging from 0 ('not at all') to 10 ('extremely').…”

Estradiol as a Mechanism for Sex Differences in the Development of an Addicted Phenotype following Extended Access Cocaine Self-Administration

“…One of the most striking examples is 'the telescoping effect', where following initial cocaine use, women meet criteria for abuse/dependence or enter treatment programs after fewer years of drug use as compared with men (Hass and Peters, 2000;McCanceKatz et al, 1999;Griffin et al, 1989;White et al, 2006). This is a robust effect that has been reported not only for cocaine but also for alcohol, heroin, and amphetamine (Anglin et al, 1987;Westermeyer and Boedicker, 2000;Brady and Randall, 1999;Hernandez-Avila et al, 2004).…”

Individual differences in drug abuse vulnerability: d-Amphetamine and sensation-seeking status

“…The personality dimension of novelty or sensation seeking is associated with the initiation of drug use and the frequency and amount of drug use among adolescents and young adults (Brennan et al 1986;White et al 2005;Wills et al 1994Wills et al , 1995. Furthermore, individuals with these personality traits are at increased risk for the development of drug abuse and dependence (Hawkins et al 1992;Huba et al 1981).…”

“…Several recent clinical studies suggest that high sensation seekers are also more sensitive to the behavioral effects of stimulants (Hutchison et al 1999;Perkins et al 2000;Sax and Strakowski 1998;White et al 2005). However, not all studies have found a positive association between sensation seeking and sensitivity to stimulant drugs (e.g., Alessi et al 2003;Carrol et al 1982;Chait 1993;Corr and Kumari 2000;de Wit et al 1986).…”

“…The association between sensation seeking and drug sensitivity was evaluated by examining correlations between scores on questionnaires with magnitude of drug response or by comparing drug response in subgroups of the study volunteers that vary in sensation-seeking status. Under these conditions, the association between sensation seeking and drug sensitivity can be influenced by multiple factors, including sample size, the relative distribution of sensation-seeking scores, and the relative contribution of influences on sensation-seeking status (i.e., genetic vs environmental) among the subjects in a given study (e.g., White et al 2005).…”