Abstract
Background: Previous studies have reported anomalous resting brain activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of alcoholics, often reflected as increased power in the beta and theta frequency bands. The effects of binge drinking, the most common pattern of excessive alcohol consumption during adolescence and youth, on brain activity at rest is still poorly known. In this study, we sought to assess the pattern of resting-state EEG oscillations in college-aged binge drinkers (BDs).Methods: Resting-state brain activity during eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions was recorded from 60 channels in 80 first-year undergraduate students (40 controls and 40 BDs). Cortical sources activity of EEG rhythms was estimated using exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) analysis.Results: EEG-source localization analysis revealed that BDs showed, in comparison with controls, significantly higher intracranial current density in the beta frequency band over the right temporal lobe (parahippocampal and fusiform gyri) during eyes-open resting state as well as higher intracranial current density in the theta band over the bilateral occipital cortex (cuneus and lingual gyrus) during eyes-closed resting condition.Conclusions: These findings are in line with previous results observing increased beta and/or theta power following chronic or heavy alcohol drinking in alcohol-dependent subjects and BDs. Increased tonic beta and theta oscillations are suggestive of an augmented cortical excitability and of potential difficulties in the information processing capacity in young BDs. Furthermore, enhanced EEG power in these frequency bands may respond to a neuromaturational delay as a result of excessive alcohol consumption during this critical brain developmental period.
Highlights
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a binge is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g percent or higher, which corresponds to consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more for women within a 2-h interval (National Institute of Alcohol, Abuse and Alcoholism, 2004)
There were no significant differences between groups regarding age, handedness, regular use of cannabis, general severity index (GSI) of the SCL-R, or BIS-11 scores
On the other hand, during the eyes-closed condition, the current density in the theta frequency band was significantly greater in the binge drinkers (BDs) group in comparison with the Control group (t threshold required for significance: t = 3.194) in a large bilateral cluster involving the occipital cortex, the cuneus and the lingual gyrus
Summary
Recent reports show that around one third of young Europeans and North Americans are binge drinkers (BDs; Kraus et al, 2016; SAMHSA, 2016) This prevalent pattern has been related to an array of negative consequences, including traffic collisions, poor academic performance, risky sexual behavior and neurocognitive deficits (White and Hingson, 2013; Carbia and López-Caneda, 2016). In the resting electroencephalogram (EEG)—i.e., the electrophysiological recording of oscillatory brain activity while the person is relaxed- increased power in the beta and theta frequency bands has been reported extensively. We sought to assess the pattern of resting-state EEG oscillations in college-aged binge drinkers (BDs)
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