Citation

Gan G, Guevara A, Marxen M, Neumann M, Jünger E, Kobiella A, Mennigen E, Pilhatsch M, Schwarz D, Zimmermann US, Smolka MN. Biol. Psychiatry 2014; 76(9): 698-707.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center (GG, AG, MM, MN, EJ, AK, EM, MP, DS, USZ, MNS), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: michael.smolka@tu-dresden.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.017

PMID

24560581

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A self-enhancing loop between impaired inhibitory control under alcohol and alcohol consumption has been proposed as a possible mechanism underlying dysfunctional drinking in susceptible people. However, the neural underpinnings of alcohol-induced impairment of inhibitory control are widely unknown. METHODS: We measured inhibitory control in 50 young adults with a stop-signal task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. In a single-blind placebo-controlled cross-over design, all participants performed the stop-signal task once under alcohol with a breath alcohol concentration of .6 g/kg and once under placebo. In addition, alcohol consumption was assessed with a free-access alcohol self-administration paradigm in the same participants. RESULTS: Inhibitory control was robustly decreased under alcohol compared with placebo, indicated by longer stop-signal reaction times. On the neural level, impaired inhibitory control under alcohol was associated with attenuated brain responses in the right fronto-temporal portion of the inhibition network that supports the attentional capture of infrequent stop-signals and subsequent updating of action plans from response execution to inhibition. Furthermore, the extent of alcohol-induced impairment of inhibitory control predicted free-access alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that during inhibitory control alcohol affects cognitive processes preceding actual motor inhibition. Under alcohol, decreased brain responses in right fronto-temporal areas might slow down the attentional capture of infrequent stop-signals and subsequent updating of action plans, which leads to impaired inhibitory control. In turn, pronounced alcohol-induced impairment of inhibitory control might enhance alcohol consumption in young adults, which might promote future alcohol problems.

Language: en