Habitual alcohol use is prodromal to alcohol dependence. It has been suggested that impairment in cognitive control underlies habitual alcohol seeking and consumption in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. Previous studies have provided ample evidence for impaired cognitive control in patients with alcohol dependence. However, whether non-dependent individuals who habitually consume alcohol demonstrate such deficits are unclear. In particular, sensation seeking and risk taking has been implicated in the shaping of habitual drinking in non-dependent individuals. Behavioral studies have also supported an association between these personality traits and alcohol consumption. Little is known, on the other hand, whether neural processes associated with risk taking is specifically altered in non-dependent individuals who habitually consume alcohol. In particular, no studies to our knowledge have examined and directly compared the neural substrates of cognitive control and risk taking in the same non-dependent populations. The current proposal attempts to explore these questions by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the stop signal task as a cognitive proxy to isolate the cortical and subcortical substrates of cognitive control and risk taking. Our previous work highlighted a role of the medial prefrontal structures in cognitive control and the amygdala in risk taking during the stop signal task and thus provided a unique platform to pursue these questions. By comparing non-alcohol dependent college students who habitually consume alcohol and those who are non- or light-drinkers, we hope to elucidate the key neural processes that underlie habitual alcohol use and potentially mediate the transition of habitual drinking to alcohol dependence.
Habitual alcohol use is prodromal to alcohol dependence and it has been suggested that risk taking plays a critical role in shaping habitual drinking in non-dependent individuals. However, little is known about which brain processes contribute to risk taking in non-dependent individuals who habitually consume alcohol. The current proposal combines a brain imaging technique and a cognitive paradigm to answer this question.
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