Alcohol-related context modulates neural correlates of inhibitory control in alcohol dependent patients: Preliminary data from an fMRI study using an alcohol-related Go/NoGo-task

Stein, Maria; Steiner, Leonie; Fey, Werner; Conring, Frauke; Rieger, Kathryn; Federspiel, Andrea; Moggi, Franz (2021). Alcohol-related context modulates neural correlates of inhibitory control in alcohol dependent patients: Preliminary data from an fMRI study using an alcohol-related Go/NoGo-task. Behavioural brain research, 398, p. 112973. Elsevier 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112973

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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by both impaired inhibitory control and heightened cue reactivity, including enhanced craving and drinking urges in response to alcohol-related stimuli. The interaction between these two mechanisms is thought to be crucial in the maintenance of addiction and relapse. The present study used a newly developed alcohol-related Go/NoGo-task to investigate how exposure to alcohol-related cues affects neural processing of inhibitory control in subjects with AUD.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was recorded during performance of a Go/NoGo task, which incorporated alcohol-related and neutral stimuli as Go and NoGo trials in abstinent AUD patients and healthy controls (HC).

AUD patients exhibited increased activation of a fronto-striatal-parietal network during successful response inhibition relative to HC. Within the AUD group, activation for alcohol-related (relative to neutral) inhibition was enhanced in regions including bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right medial frontal and precentral gyri, and right putamen. Activation differences in the right ACC increased with subjective craving.

These preliminary findings suggest that AUD patients need to recruit enhanced neuronal resources for successful inhibition. In parts of the inhibitory network, this hyperactivation is enhanced when inhibition takes place in an alcohol-related context. Activation in the ACC increased stronger in patients experiencing high craving, possibly because of an enhanced conflict.

The task introduced here thus allows to investigate neural processing of alcohol-related inhibition in an AUD sample. The preliminary results suggest that exposure to alcohol-related cues intensifies the demand on an already challenged inhibitory system in recently abstinent patients with AUD.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy > Translational Research Center
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

UniBE Contributor:

Stein, Maria, Fey, Werner Martin, Conring, Frauke, Rieger, Kathryn, Federspiel, Andrea, Moggi, Franz (A)

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0166-4328

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Melanie Best

Date Deposited:

03 Dec 2020 09:00

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:37

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112973

PubMed ID:

33157169

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.148754

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/148754

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