A. Wallace Deckel

Nitric oxide (NO) is a biologically active inorganic molecule produced when the semiessential amino acid l‐arginine is converted to l‐citrulline and NO via the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NO is known to be involved in the regulation of many physiological processes, such as control of blood flow, platelet adhesion, endocrine function, neurotransmission, neuromodulation, and inflammation, to name only a few. During neuropathological conditions, the production of NO can be either protective or toxic, dependent on the stage of the disease, the isoforms of NOS involved, and the initial pathological event. This paper reviews the properties of NO and NOS and the pathophysiology of Huntington's disease (HD). It discusses ways in which NO and NOS may interact with the protein product of HD and reviews data implicating NOS in the neuropathology of HD. This is followed by a synthesis of current information regarding how NO/NOS may contribute to HD‐related pathology and identification of areas for potential future research. J. Neurosci. Res. 64:99–107, 2001.

This experiment examined the ability of neuropsychological and behavioral tests of anterior brain functioning to predict changes in alcohol-related behaviors 3 years after the initial evaluation. One hundred four young adult subjects, sixty-six of whom had a positive family history of alcoholism, filled out the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), self-rated the frequency with which they consumed alcohol, and completed a retrospective test of childhood hyperactivity/impulsivity/conduct problems (Wender Behavioral Checklist). Eighty-three of the subjects also completed a neuropsychological battery consisting of cognitive tests of executive functioning (i.e., Trails, Categories Test, Similarities) and motor tests (i.e., TPT, hand dynamometer, finger tapping). Subjects returned to complete the alcohol-related measures during a second testing session 3 years later. Changes in MAST scores, and in alcohol consumption, between the first and second test session were computed, and median splits classified subjects into “high” versus “low” change groups. After factor analysis of the cognitive and behavioral data, hierarchical logistic regression equations assessed the ability of the cognitive and behavioral variables, as well as the presence of a positive family history of alcoholism, to predict future changes in the alcohol outcome measures. Scores from the WENDER behavioral checklist predicted future changes in the MAST scores (p = 0.0026), with more impaired scores associated with higher MAST scores. Tests of executive functioning, in subjects with a positive family history of alcoholism, predicted alcohol consumption (p = 0.033). None of the other predictor variables showed any relationship to the alcohol-related outcome measures.