Abstract
Background: Three million deaths occur each year due to alcohol misuse. Translational studies are crucial to translate preclinical findings to patients. Preclinical studies have highlighted abnormalities in specific brain systems with these forming the basis of allostasis theory. However, few studies have tested predictions in humans using neuroimaging.
Methods: Here we used a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach to testallostasis theory predictions of blunted positive valence system (PVS) and abnormally increased negative valence system (NVS) responses in fifty-seven binge alcohol drinking subjects and healthy controls who completed an instrumental task during fMRI.
Results: As hypothesised, binge alcohol drinkers showed abnormally increased activity in NVS-linked regions such as the hippocampus and dorsal cingulate, and abnormally blunted activity in PVS-linked regions such as the striatum, compared to controls. Higher measures of problematic alcohol use were associated with more abnormal brain activity, only for binge drinkers who had been most recently drinking.
Conclusions: These results support allostasis theory predictions of abnormally increased NVS and blunted PVS responses in binge alcohol drinkers. Further similar translational neuroimaging studies are indicated, particularly focusing on the NVS
Methods: Here we used a Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach to testallostasis theory predictions of blunted positive valence system (PVS) and abnormally increased negative valence system (NVS) responses in fifty-seven binge alcohol drinking subjects and healthy controls who completed an instrumental task during fMRI.
Results: As hypothesised, binge alcohol drinkers showed abnormally increased activity in NVS-linked regions such as the hippocampus and dorsal cingulate, and abnormally blunted activity in PVS-linked regions such as the striatum, compared to controls. Higher measures of problematic alcohol use were associated with more abnormal brain activity, only for binge drinkers who had been most recently drinking.
Conclusions: These results support allostasis theory predictions of abnormally increased NVS and blunted PVS responses in binge alcohol drinkers. Further similar translational neuroimaging studies are indicated, particularly focusing on the NVS
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 126-134 |
| Journal | Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 16 Sept 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2021 |
Keywords
- Allostasis
- Binge drinking
- RDoC
- Reinforcement learning
- Striatum
- Amygdala-hippocampal complex
Access to Document
- Binge_Drinking_final_accepted_version
Copyright © 2020 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the Society. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.09.010.