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Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
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The effect of alcohol dependence on automatic visuo-spatial perspective taking.
Sharon Cox1, Chris Chandler2, Andrew Simpson3
1University of Kent, Department of Psychology, Keynes College, University Road, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ, UK; London Metropolitan University, Department of Psychology, Tower Building, Holloway Road, London, N7 8DB, UK.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|June 29, 2016
Summary
Alcohol dependence impacts rapid social cognition. While individuals with alcohol dependence can adopt others' perspectives, they do so automatically for both neutral and fearful faces, unlike controls.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Alcoholism is linked to social functioning deficits.
- Previous studies highlight impaired conscious social processing in alcoholism.
- The impact of alcoholism on rapid, spontaneous social processing remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how alcoholism affects spontaneous visuo-spatial perspective taking (VSPT).
- To determine if rapid social processing is impaired in individuals with alcohol dependence.
Main Methods:
- Visuo-spatial perspective taking (VSPT) was assessed using a dot probe task.
- Participants responded to stimuli presented briefly (35ms).
- Stimuli included neutral faces, fearful faces, and baseline rectangles.
Main Results:
- Non-alcohol-dependent individuals showed reaction time costs to fearful faces only.
- Alcohol-dependent participants exhibited reaction time costs to both neutral and fearful faces.
- This suggests altered automatic processing of social cues.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol dependence does not impair the fundamental ability for automatic perspective-taking.
- Individuals with alcohol dependence demonstrate automatic perspective-taking towards both neutral and fearful faces, differing from controls.
- This indicates a distinct pattern of spontaneous social processing in alcoholism.
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