Occipital event-related potentials to addiction-related stimuli in detoxified patients with alcohol dependence, and their association with three-month relapse.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the biological underpinnings of relapse in alcohol dependency is a major issue in addiction research. Based on recent evidence regarding the relevance of occipital visual evoked response potentials (ERPs) in addiction research, and its significance for relapse research, we assessed occipital ERPs to alcohol- and non-alcohol-related stimuli in recently detoxified patients and controls. METHODS: Thirty recently detoxified patients with alcohol addiction, and 31 healthy control subjects, were assessed in a Go and a NoGo condition, each using three visual stimuli: tea, juice and beer. In the "Go" condition, subjects had to respond to the juice (12.5 %) and the beer stimulus (12.5 %), and ignore the tea picture (75 %). In the "NoGo" condition, subjects had to respond to the tea picture (75 %) and ignore the juice and the beer picture (12.5 % each). The subjects' EEGs were analyzed with regard to the occipital P100 and N170 ERP components. Patients were then evaluated for relapse 3 months after this initial assessment. RESULTS: P100 amplitudes differed between conditions and between stimuli, and we found a condition x electrode interaction. However, none of these P100 results involved group or relapse-status effects. N170 amplitudes in patients were elevated as compared to controls. Additionally, patients' heightened N170 amplitudes in response to the alcohol-related (beer) stimulus were found only under the NoGo condition, where subjects had to react to the frequent tea stimulus and ignore the beer and the juice stimuli, thus resulting in a condition x stimulus x group interaction. Patients reporting relapse in a 3-month follow-up assessment showed larger NoGo N170 alcohol cue-related ERP amplitudes and increased depression scores as compared to patients who stayed abstinent. Depression was related to shortened P100 latencies in patients, but unrelated to the N170 NoGo cue-reactivity effect. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate a sensitivity of occipital ERPs to addiction-related stimuli when these act as non-targets. Recently detoxified patients may be vulnerable to addiction-related cues when these occur outside the focus of directed attention, thereby circumventing intentional control processes. Furthermore, ERPs to addiction-related stimuli may be useful as a predictor of abstinence success in recently detoxified patients.

The Birch Bracket Medicinal Mushroom, Fomitopsis betulina (Agaricomycetes) - Bioactive Source for Beta-Glucan Fraction with Tumor Cell Migration Blocking Ability.

Wild-grown fruiting bodies of the basidiomycete Fomitopsis betulina (Agaricomycetes, birch bracket mushroom, = Piptoporus betulinus) in different growing stages were collected and analyzed for their beta-glucan content. It could be shown that no significant difference in beta-glucan content regarding size or location of the collected fruiting bodies could be determined, but all samples displayed high values of beta-glucan in comparison to other well-known culinary or medicinal mushroom species. Furthermore, F. betulina fruiting bodies extracted with cold sodium chloride were separated into several fractions by cross flow ultrafiltration, and glucan and protein content were analyzed. The fractions showed varying amounts of beta-glucan and very low protein contents were detected. Also, bioactivity of the fractionated extract was analyzed. None of the mushroom extract fractions induced significant cytotoxicity after 48 h of incubation at a concentration up to 1 mg/mL. Interestingly, in a scratch wound assay, the extract FbS 1, an ultrafiltrated fraction > 300 kDa, was able to block tumor cell migration by 38% compared to solvent control after 48 h of incubation at a concentration of 0.33 mg/mL. In conclusion, our results have high potential for identifying novel antitumor activities based on F. betulina.