Influence of Alcohol Use on Neural Response to Go/No-Go Task in College Drinkers

Abstract

Impaired inhibition of prepotent motor response may represent an important risk factor for alcoholism. Alcohol use may also increase impulsive behavior, including impaired response inhibition. Little is known about the brain function underlying response inhibition among college-age drinkers based on their drinking patterns, despite college-age drinkers demonstrating high rates of alcohol-use disorders. Our major objective was to compare behavior and associated brain activity measured with fMRI during a response-inhibition task in matched heavy-and light-alcohol-drinking college students. Participants were light (N ¼ 36) and heavy (N ¼ 56) drinkers, aged 18-20 years. We characterized blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses, while participants performed an fMRI Go/No-Go task to quantify inhibitory behavior and brain activity. Behaviorally, group performance differences were observed for Go correct-hit and No-Go falsealarm reaction times with increased reaction times in heavy compared with light drinkers. During fMRI No-Go correct rejections, light drinkers exhibited greater BOLD response than did heavy drinkers in left supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral parietal lobule, right hippocampus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus/anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann area 24). Group differences in Go/No-Go-related regional activations correlated with alcohol-and impulsivity-related measures. These findings suggest that heavy alcohol drinkers may have dysfunction in brain regions underlying attention and response inhibition, leading to diminished abilities to suppress prepotent responding. The extent to which these tendencies relate to impulsive decision-making and behaviors in real-life settings and may guide intervention development warrants additional investigation.

Association of Drinking Problems and Duration of Alcohol Use to Inhibitory Control in Nondependent Young Adult Social Drinkers

“…For instance, the ACC showed greater BOLD activities in light drinkers than in heavy drinkers for correct rejections in a go/no-go task (Ahmadi et al, 2013). In another study, activity of the ACC negatively correlated with the severity of alcohol misuse during correct rejections in the go/no-go task (Claus et al, 2013).…”

The Burden of Binge and Heavy Drinking on the Brain: Effects on Adolescent and Young Adult Neural Structure and Function

“…Task-related fMRI studies have largely reported that HD/BD have increased fronto-parietal and cerebellar response during successful inhibitory control and increased emotional and visual response during unsuccessful response inhibition (except for Ahmadi et al, 2013). …”

A Preliminary Prospective Study of an Escalation in ‘Maximum Daily Drinks’, Fronto-Parietal Circuitry and Impulsivity-Related Domains in Young Adult Drinkers

“…Additional participants were excluded from analyses for meeting criteria for a current substance use disorder (N = 2) or moving excessively throughout fMRI (N = 7). The sample of 36 individuals represents a portion of participants included in an initial cross-sectional study (Ahmadi et al, 2013). Study procedures were approved by institutional review boards at Yale University, Hartford Hospital, Trinity College, and Central Connecticut State University, and participants provided written informed consent.…”

“…Participants were 36 young adult drinkers recruited as part of the NIAAA-funded Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students (BARCS) research program (Ahmadi et al, 2013;Dager et al, 2014;Khadka et al, 2014). Individuals enrolled in the BARCS program provided a drinking history and completed a battery of psychometric tests including assessments of impulsivity-related domains.…”

“…Participants completed the Go/No-Go task described previously (Ahmadi et al, 2013;Steele et al, 2013;Stevens et al, 2007) during fMRI. Participants were instructed to press a button in response to all Go stimuli ('X', presented at a variable ratio of 17 : 20) and withhold responses to No-Go stimuli ('K', presented at a variable ratio of 3 : 20).…”