Neural activation during anticipation of monetary gain or loss does not associate with positive subjective response to alcohol in binge drinkers.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains an unresolved source of morbidity and mortality. Psychopharmacological challenge studies and neuroimaging experiments are two methods used to identify risk of problematic substance use. The present study combined these two approaches by examining associations between self-reported stimulation, sedation, liking or wanting more after a dose of alcohol and neural-based responses to anticipation of monetary gain and loss.Methods
Young adult binge drinkers (N = 56) aged 21-29, with no history of Substance Use Disorder completed five experimental sessions. These included four laboratory sessions in which they rated their subjective responses to alcohol (0.8 g/kg for men, 0.68 g/kg for women) or placebo, and a single functional magnetic resonance imaging session in which they completed a monetary incentive delay task. During the scan, we recorded neural signal related to anticipation of winning $5 or $1.50 compared to winning no money (WinMoney-WinZero), losing $5 or $1.50 compared to losing no money (LoseMoney-LoseZero), and winning $5 or $1.50 compared to losing $5 or $1.50 (WinMoney-LoseMoney), in reward related regions.Results
There were no significant associations between subjective ratings of "Feel Drug Effect", "Like Drug Effect", "Want More", stimulation or sedation following the acute alcohol challenge and neural activation in reward related regions during anticipation of monetary gain or loss.Conclusions
These results suggest that sensitivity of neural reward circuits is not directly related to rewarding subjective experiences from alcohol. Taken together with previous studies, the present findings indicate that the association between the subjective effects of drugs and reward-related brain activity depends on the drugs, tasks or subject samples under study.
SUBMITTER: Pabon E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7750248 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Although global declines in structure have been documented in the aging human brain, little is known about the functional integrity of the striatum and prefrontal cortex in older adults during incentive processing. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine whether younger and older adults differed in both self-reported and neural responsiveness to anticipated monetary gains and losses. The present study provides evidence for intact striatal and insular activation during gain anticipation with age, but shows a relative reduction in activation during loss anticipation. These findings suggest that there is an asymmetry in the processing of gains and losses in older adults that may have implications for decision-making.
| S-EPMC2268869 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Evidence suggests that disturbances in neurobiological mechanisms of reward and inhibitory control maintain addiction and provoke relapse during abstinence. Abnormalities within the dopamine system may contribute to these disturbances and pharmacologically targeting the D3 dopamine receptor (DRD3) is therefore of significant clinical interest. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the acute effects of the DRD3 antagonist GSK598809 on anticipatory reward processing, using the monetary incentive delay task (MIDT), and response inhibition using the Go/No-Go task (GNGT). A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design approach was used in abstinent alcohol dependent, abstinent poly-drug dependent and healthy control volunteers. For the MIDT, there was evidence of blunted ventral striatal response to reward in the poly-drug-dependent group under placebo. GSK598809 normalized ventral striatal reward response and enhanced response in the DRD3-rich regions of the ventral pallidum and substantia nigra. Exploratory investigations suggested that the effects of GSK598809 were mainly driven by those with primary dependence on alcohol but not on opiates. Taken together, these findings suggest that GSK598809 may remediate reward deficits in substance dependence. For the GNGT, enhanced response in the inferior frontal cortex of the poly-drug group was found. However, there were no effects of GSK598809 on the neural network underlying response inhibition nor were there any behavioral drug effects on response inhibition. GSK598809 modulated the neural network underlying reward anticipation but not response inhibition, suggesting that DRD3 antagonists may restore reward deficits in addiction.
| S-EPMC5423526 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionAlcohol is among the most commonly used psychoactive drugs, yet it can produce markedly different subjective effects in different people. Certain effects, including both heightened stimulatory effects and lesser sedative effects, are thought to predict repeated or excessive use. However, we do not fully understand the nature of these individual differences or their relationships to alcohol consumption. This controlled laboratory study examined subjective and physiologic responses to a moderate dose of alcohol in social drinkers in relation to the subjects' decision to consume alcohol.MethodsHealthy adult volunteers (N = 95) participated in a 5-session double-blind alcohol choice study. On the first 4 sessions, they received alcohol (0.8 g/kg) and placebo in alternating order, and on the fifth session, they chose and consumed whichever of the 2 they preferred. During each session, participants completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) questionnaires and had their vitals recorded every 30 minutes. We compared subjective and physiologic response to alcohol during the sampling sessions in participants who chose alcohol or placebo on session 5.ResultsOf the 95 participants, 55 chose alcohol (choosers) and 40 chose placebo (nonchoosers). In the full sample, alcohol produced its expected effects (e.g., increased friendliness, elation, and vigor (POMS), and stimulation and sedation (BAES)). The chooser and nonchooser groups did not differ in demographic characteristics, blood alcohol levels, or cardiovascular measures. However, the choosers experienced greater alcohol-induced increases in positive mood (POMS) and liked the drug more, whereas the nonchoosers experienced greater anger, anxiety (POMS), and sedation (BAES) after alcohol.ConclusionBoth greater positive mood effects and lesser sedative effects after alcohol predicted preference under controlled conditions, suggesting that both factors can predict future consumption of alcohol.
| S-EPMC8076998 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Depression has been reliably associated with abnormalities in the neural representation of reward and loss. However, most studies have focused on monetary incentives; fewer studies have considered neural representation of social incentives. A direct comparison of non-social and social incentives within the same study would establish whether responses to the different incentives are differentially affected in depression. The functional magnetic resonance imaging study presented here investigated the neural activity of individuals with subthreshold depression (SD) and healthy controls (HCs) while they participated in an incentive delay task offering two types of reward (monetary gain vs social approval) and loss (monetary loss vs social disapproval). Compared to HCs, individuals with SD showed increased subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) activity during anticipation of social loss, whereas the response in the putamen was decreased during consumption of social gain. Individuals with SD also exhibited diminished insula responses in consuming social loss. Furthermore, positive connectivity between the insula and ventral lateral pre-frontal cortex (VLPFC) was observed in individuals with SD while negative connectivity was found in HCs when consuming social loss. These results demonstrate neural alterations in individuals with depression, specific to the processing of social incentives, mainly characterised by dysfunction within the 'social pain network' (sgACC, insula and VLPFC).
| S-EPMC6847340 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Reward seeking is ubiquitous and adaptive in humans. But excessive reward seeking behavior, such as chasing monetary rewards, may lead to diminished subjective well-being. This study examined whether individuals trained in mindfulness meditation show neural evidence of lower susceptibility to monetary rewards. Seventy-eight participants (34 meditators, 44 matched controls) completed the monetary incentive delay task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The groups performed equally on the task, but meditators showed lower neural activations in the caudate nucleus during reward anticipation, and elevated bilateral posterior insula activation during reward anticipation. Meditators also evidenced reduced activations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during reward receipt compared with controls. Connectivity parameters between the right caudate and bilateral anterior insula were attenuated in meditators during incentive anticipation. In summary, brain regions involved in reward processing-both during reward anticipation and receipt of reward-responded differently in mindfulness meditators than in nonmeditators, indicating that the former are less susceptible to monetary incentives.
| S-EPMC4420752 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder have been shown to reduce hazardous drinking and improve overall health. The effect sizes for the effectiveness of these medications, however, are small, underscoring the need to expand the range of therapeutics and develop personalized treatment approaches. Recent studies have suggested that varenicline, an ?4?2-nicotinic partial agonist widely used for smoking cessation, can help alcoholics reduce drinking, but the neurocognitive underpinnings of its effectiveness remain largely unexplored. METHODS:In this double-blind study, 32 heavy drinkers were randomized to receive varenicline (2 mg/d) or placebo. After 2 weeks of dosing, participants underwent functional MRI scans, during which they viewed images of faces with either neutral or fearful expressions at baseline and following an intravenous alcohol infusion to a target breath alcohol concentration of 80 mg%. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response was analyzed with Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging software. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of facial expression (fearful vs. neutral) and medication (placebo vs. varenicline) on BOLD response. The effect of medication on measures of subjective response to alcohol was also examined. RESULTS:Results indicated a significant facial expression-by-medication interaction in the left amygdala. The groups showed equivalent activation to neutral faces, but, whereas the placebo group showed increased activation to fearful faces, the varenicline group showed no change in activation. Amygdala activation to fearful faces correlated with number of drinks in the previous 90 days and Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale scores. There was no effect of varenicline on subjective response to alcohol. CONCLUSIONS:Our results indicate that varenicline may disrupt amygdala response to fearful faces in heavy drinkers. Further, amygdala activation correlated with alcohol consumption, suggesting that the effects of varenicline may be related to aspects of drinking behavior. These results suggest that amygdala response to fearful faces may be developed as a biomarker of the effectiveness of medications being developed for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.
| S-EPMC6402840 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Individuals who engage in binge drinking behaviors may show evidence of impaired cognitive function and emotional dysregulation. Impaired empathy, characterized by a reduced ability to understand and respond appropriately to feelings of others, is increasingly recognized for its role in Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). The present study examined a population of young adult social drinkers to compare individuals who show binge drinking behavior to those who do not on measures of empathic processing and associated neural responses. A secondary aim explored similarities and differences between binge drinkers living in the UK and France. Alcohol drinking history and impulsivity ratings were recorded from seventy-one participants [(37 UK (Binge drinkers N = 19); 34 France (Binge drinkers N = 17)], who then underwent a neuroimaging study. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants viewed images of bodily pain (vs. no-pain), while adopting the perspective of self (pain recipient) or other (observer of someone else experiencing pain). Anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and insula activation distinguished pain from no-pain conditions. Binge drinkers showed stronger regional neural activation than non-binge drinkers within a cluster spanning fusiform gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus, encompassing the Fusiform Body Area. Binge drinkers compared to non-binge drinkers also took longer to respond when viewing pictures depicting pain, in particular when adopting the perspective of self. Relationships between changes in brain activation and behavioural responses in pain versus no pain conditions (self or other perspective) indicated that whereas non-binge drinkers engage areas supporting self to other distinction, binge drinkers do not. Our findings suggest that alcohol binge drinking is associated with different empathy-related behavioral and brain responses, consistent with the proposed importance of empathy in the development of AUD.
| S-EPMC7338615 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundBinge Drinking (BD) has been associated with altered inhibitory control and augmented alcohol-cue reactivity. Memory inhibition (MI), the ability to voluntarily suppress unwanted thoughts/memories, may lead to forgetting of memories in several psychiatric conditions. However, despite its potential clinical implications, no study to date has explored the MI abilities in populations with substance misuse, such as binge drinkers (BDs).MethodThis study-registered in the NIH Clinical Trials Database (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05237414)-aims firstly to examine the behavioral and electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of MI among college BDs. For this purpose, 45 BDs and 45 age-matched non/low-drinkers (50% female) will be assessed by EEG while performing the Think/No-Think Alcohol task, a paradigm that evaluates alcohol-related MI. Additionally, this work aims to evaluate an alcohol-specific MI intervention protocol using cognitive training (CT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while its effects on behavioral and EEG outcomes are assessed. BDs will be randomly assigned to one MI training group: combined [CT and verum tDCS applied over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)], cognitive (CT and sham tDCS), or control (sham CT and sham tDCS). Training will occur in three consecutive days, in three sessions. MI will be re-assessed in BDs through a post-training EEG assessment. Alcohol use and craving will be measured at the first EEG assessment, and both 10-days and 3-months post-training. In addition, behavioral and EEG data will be collected during the performance of an alcohol cue reactivity (ACR) task, which evaluates attentional bias toward alcoholic stimuli, before, and after the MI training sessions.DiscussionThis study protocol will provide the first behavioral and neurofunctional MI assessment in BDs. Along with poor MI abilities, BDs are expected to show alterations in event-related potentials and functional connectivity patterns associated with MI. Results should also demonstrate the effectiveness of the protocol, with BDs exhibiting an improved capacity to suppress alcohol-related memories after both combined and cognitive training, along with a reduction in alcohol use and craving in the short/medium-term. Collectively, these findings might have major implications for the understanding and treatment of alcohol misuse.Clinical trial registration[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT05237414].
| S-EPMC9278062 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Binge drinking refers to a pattern of alcohol intake that raises blood alcohol concentration to or above legal intoxication levels. It is common among young adults and is associated with health risks that scale up with alcohol intake. Acute intoxication depresses neural activity via complex signaling mechanisms by enhancing inhibition mediated by gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), and by decreasing excitatory glutamatergic effects. Evidence primarily rooted in animal research indicates that the brain compensates for the acute depressant effects under the conditions of habitual heavy use. These neuroadaptive changes are reflected in neural hyperexcitability via downregulated inhibitory signaling, which becomes apparent as withdrawal symptoms. However, human evidence on the compensatory reduction in GABA signaling is scant. The neurochemical aspect of this mechanistic model was evaluated in the present study with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) which is sensitive to GABA plus macromolecule signal (GABA + ). Furthermore, we examined sex differences in GABA + levels as a function of a recent history of binge drinking, given interactions between endogenous neurosteroids, GABA signaling, and alcohol. The study recruited young adult women and men (22.2 ± 2.8 years of age) who were classified as binge drinkers (BDs, N = 52) if they reported ≥ 5 binge episodes in the previous six months. Light drinkers (LDs, N = 49) reported drinking regularly, but not exceeding ≤ 2 binge episodes in the past six months. GABA-edited 1H-MR spectra were acquired from the occipital cortex at 3 T with the MEGA-PRESS sequence. GABA + signal was analyzed relative to water and total creatine (Cr) levels as a function of binge drinking history and sex. Controlling for within-voxel tissue composition, both GABA + indices showed decreased GABA + levels in BDs relative to LDs. The reduced GABA + concentration was associated with occasional high-intensity drinking in the BD group. This evidence is consistent with compensatory GABA downregulation that accompanies alcohol misuse, tipping the excitation/inhibition balance towards hyperexcitability. Analysis of the time course of GABA + neuroplasticity indicated that GABA + was lowest when measured one day after the last drinking occasion in BDs. While the BD vs LD differences were primarily driven by LD women, there was no interaction between Sex and a history of binge drinking. GABA + was higher in LD women compared to LD men. Aligned with the allostasis model, the mechanistic compensatory GABA downregulation observed in young emerging adults engaging in occasional binge drinking complements direct neural measures of hyperexcitability in BDs. Notably, these results suggest that neuroadaptation to alcohol is detectable at the levels of consumption that are within a normative range, and may contribute to adverse health outcomes.
| S-EPMC9240858 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Preclinical and emerging clinical evidence indicates that varenicline, a nicotinic partial agonist approved for smoking cessation, attenuates alcohol seeking and consumption. Reductions of alcohol craving have been observed under varenicline treatment and suggest effects of the medication on alcohol reward processing, but this hypothesis remains untested. METHODS:In this double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized experimental medicine study, 29 heavy drinkers underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan after 2 weeks of varenicline (2mg/d) or placebo administration. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants performed the Alcohol-Food Incentive Delay task, where they could earn points for snacks or alcohol. At baseline and after 3 weeks of medication, participants underwent intravenous alcohol self-administration sessions in the laboratory. RESULTS:During the functional magnetic resonance imaging scan, participants in the varenicline group (N=17) reported lower feelings of happiness and excitement on subjective mood scales when anticipating alcohol reward compared with the placebo group (N=12). Linear mixed effects analysis revealed that anticipation of alcohol reward was associated with significant blood oxygen level dependent activation of the ventral striatum, amygdala, and posterior insula in the placebo group; this activation was attenuated in the varenicline group. The varenicline group showed no difference in intravenous alcohol self-administration relative to the placebo group for either session. Participants with higher insula activation when anticipating alcohol reward showed higher alcohol self-administration behavior across groups. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that varenicline decreases blood oxygen level dependent activation in striato-cortico-limbic regions associated with motivation and incentive salience of alcohol in heavy drinkers. This mechanism may underlie the clinical effectiveness of varenicline in reducing alcohol intake and indicates its potential utility as a pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorders.
| S-EPMC4675979 | biostudies-literature