Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
A three-axes approach of subtyping the alcohol dependence syndrome
Gerhard A Wiesbeck1, Kenneth M Dürsteler-MacFarland, Marc Walter
1Division of Substance Use Disorders, Psychiatric University Hospital, CH-4025 Basel, Switzerland. gerhard.wiesbeck@upkbs.ch
Abstract:
Subtyping of alcoholics according to specific characteristics has a long tradition in alcoholism research with a number of different typologies that emerged in the literature. The goal of the present study was to test a multidimensional approach of subtyping with characteristics from different axes. Therefore, male inpatients meeting ICD-10 criteria for alcohol dependence were rated on three axes by assessing their degree of sensation seeking (personality axis), age of alcoholism onset (clinical axis) and level of dopamine activity (neurobiological axis). By using a configuration frequency analysis, we identified a subtype that was characterized by high sensation seeking early age of alcoholism onset and high dopamine activity. This subtype, which is in accordance with clinical experience and cannot be explained by antisocial personality disorder, embodied a significantly greater proportion of alcoholics than expected. The result emphasizes the usefulness of multidimensional approaches integrating personality, clinical and neurobiological characteristics.
More Related Videos
07:31Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
05:40The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Drug Dependence
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)