Prospective Associations between BOLD Markers of Response Inhibition and the Transition to Frequent Binge Drinking

Altered brain activation during response inhibition has been linked to a greater risk for alcohol and other substance use behaviors in late adolescence. However, the ability of neural markers of response inhibition, acquired during adolescence, to temporally predict the transition from less frequent and lower quantity alcohol use to high-risk, frequent (≥ weekly) binge drinking behavior remains unclear.

Adolescents (N = 29; 9 females) were selected from a larger ongoing longitudinal study to include those who transitioned to at least weekly binge drinking (≥5/4 alcoholic drinks for males/females per occasion) over a 15-year follow-up period. Prior to the onset of weekly binge drinking (mean age = 18.0), participants underwent a functional MRI including a go/no-go task. Whole-brain activation from the no-go correct rejection versus no-go false alarm contrast was used to predict time to transition to frequent binge drinking.

Less no-go correct rejection versus no-go false alarm activation in a cluster including the precentral gyri, insula, and inferior frontal gyri predicted a more rapid transition into frequent binge drinking (voxel-wise alpha < 0.001, cluster-wise alpha < 0.05, cluster threshold ≥ 18 voxels).

Results from this study are supported by literature suggesting that frontoinsular involvement is important for successful inhibition and cognitive control. Altered brain activation during response inhibition may thus represent neural antecedents of impulse regulation difficulties related to alcohol consumption. The magnitude of this activation provides temporal information that may be used to inform and optimize timing of interventions aimed at preventing the escalation and transition to problematic drinking for youth who have already begun to engage in drinking behaviors.