Dataset Information

Behavioral inhibition and reward processing in college binge drinkers with and without marijuana use.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Binge drinking is common during college, and studies have shown that many college students drink in quantities that far exceed the standard binge drinking threshold. Previous research has noted personality differences in individuals who engage in binge drinking, but few studies have examined neurobiological differences in both standard bingers (4/5 drinks in two hours for females/males; sBinge) and extreme binge drinkers (8+/10+ drinks in two hours for females/males; eBinge).

Method

The current study of 221 college students used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study neural activation on a stop signal task (SST) to assess behavioral inhibition and a monetary incentive delay (MID) task to assess activation to rewards and losses. Non-bingeing controls, sBinge, and eBinge freshmen and sophomores were recruited. In addition, because binge/extreme binge drinking is often associated with marijuana (MJ) use, MJ + sBinge and MJ + eBinge groups were also included.

Results

All five groups showed strong activation in expected key cortical and striatal regions on both the SST and the MID. However, there were no significant differences between groups either at the whole-brain level or in specific regions of interest. Behavioral performance on the fMRI tasks also did not differ between groups.

Conclusions

These results suggest that our sample of individuals who engage in binge or extreme binge drinking with or without MJ co-use do not differ in brain activity on reward and inhibitory tasks. Neural differences may be present on other cognitive tasks or may emerge later after more sustained use of alcohol, MJ, and other drugs.

SUBMITTER: Tong TT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7736054 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Aims:Dysfunctional brain reward circuitry, particularly in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), has been proposed as a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This risk factor may be evident in binge drinkers (BD), who are at high risk for developing AUD. We examined whole-brain and NAcc reactivity to reward in BD compared to non-binge drinkers (NBD), hypothesizing that groups would differ in their neural reactivity and connectivity. Methods:Healthy BD (N = 27) and NBD (N = 23)-none meeting AUD criteria-completed a reward-guessing game, the 'Doors' task, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We conducted an exploratory whole-brain search for group differences, but given our a priori hypotheses, we also extracted activation from the NAcc to examine reactivity during reward (Win > Loss) and functional connectivity (FC) to the prefrontal cortex. Results:Compared to NBD, BD exhibited greater activation in both the right and left NAcc during reward relative to loss. Additionally, NBD drinkers exhibited positive FC between the NAcc and dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) whereas the BD showed negative FC between these regions. Furthermore, less NAcc-dACC FC was related to more past month alcohol use. Conclusions:Our results provide preliminary evidence that BD exhibit greater NAcc activation during reward receipt relative to loss. This is consistent with the broader AUD literature and suggests aberrant neural reactivity may precede disorder onset. In addition, BD exhibited less NAcc-dACC FC, perhaps reflecting deficient regulation of activation to rewards compared to losses. This profile of reward brain circuitry could represent neural correlates of vulnerability for AUD. Short summary:Healthy binge drinkers, at risk for alcohol use disorder, exhibited greater nucleus accumbens activation during reward relative to loss. In addition, binge drinkers exhibited reduced connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and dorsal anterior cingulate, which was associated with more past month alcohol use.