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Cognitive Control Over Immediate Reward in Binge Alcohol Drinkers
Author(s) -
Poulton Antoinette,
Mackenzie Caitlyn,
Harrington Kaitlyn,
Borg Sarah,
Hester Robert
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12968
Subject(s) - impulsivity , binge drinking , psychology , inhibitory control , response inhibition , vulnerability (computing) , population , cognition , alcohol use disorder , psychiatry , alcohol , medicine , poison control , injury prevention , medical emergency , biochemistry , chemistry , computer security , environmental health , computer science
Background Cognitive control deficits, as captured by inhibitory control measures, are indicative of increased impulsivity and are considered a marker for substance use disorder vulnerability. While individuals with alcohol use disorder ( AUD ) typically exhibit inhibitory control dysfunction, evidence of impaired inhibitory control among harmful drinkers, who are at increased risk of developing an AUD , is mixed. This study examined the response inhibition of binge drinkers using a task that employed neutral, as well as both immediate and delayed reward contingencies, to determine whether reward induced heightened impulsivity in this population. Methods Binge alcohol users ( n = 42) and controls ( n = 42) were administered a Monetary Incentive Control Task that required participants to successfully inhibit a prepotent motor response to both neutral and immediately rewarding stimuli in order to secure a large delayed reward. Results Binge drinkers had significantly worse response inhibition than controls irrespective of trial condition and even after controlling for differences in weekly intake. Although both binge and control participants exhibited significantly worse inhibitory control in the presence of immediate reward, the control group showed a greater reduction in inhibition accuracy compared to the binge group in reward relative to neutral conditions. Both groups demonstrated significantly enhanced control when forewarned there was an increased chance response inhibition would be required. Control participants secured the delayed reward more often than binge participants. Conclusions Despite the variability in the literature, this study demonstrated consistent generalized impulse control deficits among binge‐drinking individuals that were unrelated to reward manipulations. These findings point to mechanisms that may confer vulnerability for transition from binge drinking to AUD .