Acute effects of alcohol on feedback processing and outcome evaluation during risky decision-making: an ERP study

Abstract

RationaleAlthough risky decision-making is one of the hallmarks of alcohol use disorders, relatively little is known about the acute psychopharmacological effects of alcohol on decision-making processes.ObjectiveThe present study investigated the acute effects of alcohol on neural mechanisms underlying feedback processing and outcome evaluation during risky decision-making, using event-related brain potentials (ERPs).MethodsERPs elicited by positive and negative feedback were recorded during performance of a modified version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task in male participants receiving either a moderate dose of alcohol (0.65 g/kg alcohol; n = 32) or a non-alcoholic placebo beverage (n = 32).ResultsOverall, there was no significant difference in the mean number of pumps between the alcohol and the placebo condition. However, when analyzing over time, it was found that the alcohol group made more riskier choices at the beginning of the task than the placebo group. ERPs demonstrated that alcohol consumption did not affect early processing of negative feedback, indexed by the feedback-related negativity. By contrast, alcohol-intoxicated individuals showed significantly reduced P300 amplitudes in response to negative feedback as compared to sober controls, suggesting that more elaborate evaluation to losses was significantly diminished.ConclusionsThese results suggest that alcohol consumption does not influence the ability to rapidly evaluate feedback valence, but rather the ability to assign sufficient attention to further process motivationally salient outcomes. Blunted P300 amplitudes may reflect poor integration of feedback across trials, particularly adverse ones. Consequently, alcohol may keep people from effectively predicting the probability of future gains and losses based on their reinforcement history.

The influence of groups and alcohol consumption on individual risk-taking

“…However, it is important to note that to my knowledge, the impact of acute intoxication on the SLT has not been investigated to date. Moreover, although previous research has found intoxication effects on the BART , other null findings in this area could indicate that the BART may lack the sensitivity to detect any effects of acute alcohol consumption (Euser et al, 2011;Peacock et al, 2013; S. C. Reed et al, 2012). …”

“…Furthermore, some studies find negligible effects of intoxication overall on risk taking (Euser, Van Meel, Snelleman, & Franken, 2011;Peacock, Bruno, Martin, & Carr, 2013).…”

“…Here, behavioural measurements have mostly implicated risk-taking as a consequence to alcohol consumption behaviour (Burian et al, 2002;Lane et al, 2004;Rose et al, 2014), whilst less research finds no influence of alcohol consumption on risky 7 One of the most commonly used self-report measures of impulsivity is the 30-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11; Patton, Stanford, & Barratt, 1995), which measures overall impulsivity, and three sub-traits of attentional (an inability to focus attention or concentrate), motor (acting without thinking), and non-planning impulsiveness (orientated in the present with a lack of future-thinking) (Stanford et al, 2009). behaviour (Euser et al, 2011;Peacock et al, 2013;S. C. Reed, Levin, & Evans, 2012).…”

High trait anxiety is associated with attenuated feedback-related negativity in risky decision making

“…Since previous ERP studies with the BART [15,21,22] used frontocentral channels, we chose E11 (identical to Fz position), E6 (identical to FCz position) and Cz for statistical analysis. Moreover, the FRN appeared to be the largest in these positions.…”

“…The FRN most likely related to the functional interaction between the posterior medial frontal cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex [14]. The FRN is usually followed by a P3 indicating the elaboration of feedback [15].…”