Brain Areas Linked to Abstinence Control Are Damaged in Alcoholics
Author Information
Author(s): Theodora Duka, Leanne Trick, Kyriaki Nikolaou, Marcus A. Gray, Matthew J. Kempton, Hugh Williams, Steven C.R. Williams, Hugo D. Critchley, David N. Stephens
Primary Institution: University of Sussex
Hypothesis
Alcoholic patients will show a deficit in performance of the incentive conflict task, which will be exacerbated in those with multiple detoxifications.
Conclusion
Alcoholics show significant impairments in controlling their responses to incentives, particularly after multiple detoxifications, indicating damage to specific brain areas.
Supporting Evidence
- Alcohol-dependent patients were significantly impaired on the incentive conflict task compared to healthy controls.
- Impairment was greater in patients with multiple detoxifications than those with a single detoxification.
- Functional imaging revealed distinct patterns of brain activation in healthy volunteers during the task.
Takeaway
This study shows that people who drink too much alcohol have trouble stopping themselves from drinking when they see things that remind them of alcohol, especially if they've tried to quit many times before.
Methodology
Participants performed an incentive conflict task while their brain activity was monitored using fMRI, and gray matter volumes were compared between alcoholics and healthy controls.
Limitations
The study did not image alcoholics during the task, so it is unclear if their impaired performance was due to failure to activate brain regions or if they activated them but still performed poorly.
Participant Demographics
23 alcohol-dependent participants and 22 healthy social drinkers matched for age, gender, and verbal IQ.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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