Abstract
BackgroundBinge Drinking (BD), a highly prevalent drinking pattern among youth, has been linked with anomalies in inhibitory control. However, it is still not well characterized whether the neural mechanisms involved in this process are compromised in binge drinkers (BDs). Furthermore, recent findings suggest that exerting inhibitory control to alcohol-related stimuli requires an increased effort in BDs, relative to controls, but the brain regions subserving these effects have also been scarcely investigated. Here we explored the impact of BD on the pattern of neural activity mediating response inhibition and its modulation by the motivational salience of stimuli (alcohol-related content).MethodsSixty-seven (36 females) first-year university students, classified as BDs (n = 32) or controls (n = 35), underwent fMRI as they performed an alcohol-cued Go/NoGo task in which pictures of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages were presented as Go or NoGo stimuli.ResultsDuring successful inhibition trials, BDs relative to controls showed greater activity in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), extending to the anterior insula, a brain region usually involved in response inhibition tasks, despite the lack of behavioral differences between groups. Moreover, BDs displayed increased activity in this region restricted to the right hemisphere when inhibiting a prepotent response to alcohol-related stimuli.ConclusionsThe increased neural activity in the IFG/insula during response inhibition in BDs, in the absence of behavioral impairments, could reflect a compensatory mechanism. The findings suggest that response inhibition-related activity in the right IFG/insula is modulated by the motivational salience of stimuli and highlight the role of this brain region in suppressing responses to substance-associated cues.
Highlights
Alcohol is by far the most used drug among youth in Western countries, as informed in epidemiological reports by the ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) [1] and the SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) [2]
To investigate the predicted higher BOLD activity in brain regions involved in response inhibition in binge drinking (BD) relative to CN, we examined the contrast NoGo > Go
There were no significant differences between groups (BDs vs. CN), neither in the response to Go stimuli nor in the number of commission errors to NoGo stimuli
Summary
Alcohol is by far the most used drug among youth in Western countries, as informed in epidemiological reports by the ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) [1] and the SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) [2]. The actual consumption rate of this substance entails significant health and economic costs [3, 4] and is one of the main causes of death among young people and adolescents [4] In this regard, multiple studies have indicated that the age of onset of drinking may be a determining factor in the development of future alcohol use disorders (AUD), illicit drug dependence and different problem drinking patterns [5,6,7,8,9]. We explored the impact of BD on the pattern of neural activity mediating response inhibition and its modulation by the motivational salience of stimuli (alcohol-related content)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
