Increased salience network connectivity in college students who engage in binge drinking: A resting state EEG study

Despite increasing awareness of the harmful consequences of binge drinking (BD), the underlying mechanisms, especially at the neurophysiological level, have yet to be fully elucidated. The main aim of the present research was to investigate the functional dynamics of the salience network (SN) in individuals with BD during the resting state using electroencephalography (EEG).

Forty-seven college students who engage in BD and 71 controls were enrolled. EEG data were analyzed using exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) software.

Compared to controls, individuals who engage in BD showed increased beta connectivity between the right insula and the left supramarginal gyrus (T = 3.927, p = 0.008). This connectivity pattern was also positively associated with BD severity (rho= 0.424, p < 0.001), even after controlling for potential confounding variables (i.e., age, sex, educational level, cannabis use severity, daily number of cigarettes, and general level of psychopathology).

This neural configuration may reflect enhanced connectivity between interoceptive and attentional-control circuits, resulting in increased neural sensitivity to internal and external alcohol-related cues.