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Alcohol Use Predicts Face Perception Impairments and Difficulties in Face Recognition
Denise Dal Lago1, Edwin Burns2, Elizabeth Gaunt2
1School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
Substance Use & Misuse
|August 21, 2023
Summary
Risky alcohol consumption is linked to impaired face perception and recognition abilities. This study reveals that higher alcohol use predicts difficulties in processing facial identity and self-reported face recognition challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Risky alcohol consumption is associated with various cognitive deficits, including memory and visuo-perceptual impairments.
- Previous research has not explored the link between alcohol use and difficulties in perceiving facial identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if riskier alcohol consumption predicts impairments in face perception.
- To examine if alcohol use predicts self-reported difficulties in face recognition.
Main Methods:
- Participants (N=239) aged over 18 with normal vision completed the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Prosopagnosia Index (PI20).
- A subsample (N=126) performed the Cambridge Face Perception task (CFPT).
- Multiple linear regression analyses were used to predict face perception and recognition outcomes.
Main Results:
- Higher AUDIT scores significantly predicted poorer performance on the Cambridge Face Perception task.
- AUDIT scores also predicted higher scores on the Prosopagnosia Index, indicating greater self-reported face recognition difficulties.
- Age was also a significant predictor for both face perception and recognition.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence that risky alcohol use predicts impaired visuo-perceptual processing of faces.
- Risky alcohol consumption is also linked to increased self-reported difficulties in recognizing faces.
- These findings highlight a novel cognitive consequence of problematic alcohol consumption.
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