Value-based decision-making predicts alcohol use and related problems in young men

Abstract

Background: Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, disproportionately affecting young men. Heavy episodic drinking is particularly prevalent among men, with this behavior peaking between the ages of 20 and 24. Aims: We sought to identify dimensions of decision-making in men that would predict the development of hazardous alcohol use through emerging adulthood. Methods: This prospective observational study profiled value-based decision-making in 198 healthy men at age 18 and assessed their alcohol involvement annually until age 24. Latent growth curve modeling estimated individual variability in trajectories of alcohol involvement and regressed this variability on five choice dimensions. Results: Low loss aversion predicted sustained heavy episodic drinking from age 18 to 24. Both high delay discounting and risk-seeking for gains independently predicted a considerably higher cumulative alcohol use during these 6 years, with high delay discounting indicating escalating consumption from age 21. Risk-seeking for gains additionally predicted meeting more criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder in these 6 years. Risk-seeking for losses was not significantly related to alcohol outcomes. Choice preferences were largely independent of each other but were correlated with choice consistency, with low consistency predicting heavy episodic drinking from age 18 to 24 beyond these associations. Conclusions: The predictive effects collectively suggest that overvaluing immediate and probabilistic incentives, rather than underestimating harm, drives hazardous drinking in young men. The differential relations of choice preferences and consistency to alcohol involvement through emerging adulthood provide distinct cognitive-behavioral patterns that warrant consideration in the development of harm reduction interventions.

More widespread and rigid neuronal representation of reward expectation underlies impulsive choices

“…However, our findings support the current literature on value-based decision-making and the maladaptive processes associated with impulsive choosing. 50,51 We generally showed that reward is encoded more than risk, PE more than VE , and that more impulsive choices are characterized by more widespread and rigid VE s.…”

Impact of Toxoplasma gondii and Human Microbiome on Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review

“…Additionally, two studies reported the association of T. gondii with SB in people with significant alcohol levels in their blood. Alcohol intoxication could serve as a trigger for the transition to suicidal behavior, as alcohol itself could influence decision making, interfering with the effect of toxoplasmosis [117]. Another limitation refers to the lack of information on the socioeconomic status of the included individuals, which might also be a potential confounder.…”