Behavioral control in alcohol use disorders: relationships with severity

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are characterized by impaired inhibitory control.
• Neural mechanisms underlying disinhibition in AUDs require further investigation.
• Understanding these mechanisms can inform treatment strategies for AUDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between AUD severity and neural circuits for response inhibition and error monitoring.
• To explore pre- and post-inhibition trial processes in AUDs.
• To identify potential causal mechanisms of disinhibition in AUDs.

Main Methods:

• 164 adults with varying levels of alcohol use (problematic use to dependence) underwent fMRI while performing a Go/NoGo task.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
• AUD severity was assessed using a composite measure.

Main Results:

• More severe AUDs correlated with reduced neural activity in regions like the right insula/inferior frontal gyrus, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobe during response inhibition.
• Error monitoring showed similar but broader neural associations, including rostral anterior cingulate cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus.
• Increased engagement of motor response circuits before inhibition trials was observed in individuals with more severe AUDs, indicating heightened prepotent responding.

Conclusions:

• AUD severity is associated with altered neural engagement in behavioral control circuits.
• Enhanced prepotent responding and reduced neural control may contribute to AUD progression and relapse.
• Findings highlight potential neural targets for interventions aimed at improving inhibitory control in AUDs.