Sex differences in distributed error-related neural activation in binge drinking young adults

Abstract

Detecting and responding to errors is central to goal-directed behavior and cognitive control, which are thought to be supported by a network of structures that includes the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula. Notable sex differences in the maturational timing of cognitive control neural systems create differential periods of vulnerability for psychiatric conditions, such as substance use disorders, between males and females. Here we examined sex differences in error-related activation across an array of distributed brain regions during a go/no-go task in a sample of binge drinking college students. Regions of interest previously linked to error-related activation, including the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and frontoparietal structures, were selected in a term-based meta-analysis and individual differences in their activation were indexed using a multivariate summary measure. Males exhibited significantly higher levels of this multivariate summary measure than females. Males also reported significantly greater substance use; however, substance use did not significantly predict neural activation in a linear regression analysis. These findings suggest that males have more marked responses to errors across a network of regions linked to performance monitoring and cognitive control.