Response inhibition and binge drinking during adolescence and early adulthood: an fMRI study

Response inhibition, defined as the ability to suppress an inadequate response, is considered a key component of executive control. Previous studies have indicated the hazardous effects that binge drinking (BD) during adolescence and youth may have on inhibitory control. However, the potential impact of BD on brain regions involved in response inhibition, such as inferior frontal cortex (IFC), is still not well characterized. This study examines the relationship between BD and brain functioning related to inhibitory control processes.
First-year college students classified as binge drinkers (BDs, n=32) or controls (n=36) completed an alcohol-cue Go/NoGo task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The whole-sample analysis (NoGo > Go) showed common activation in the brain circuitry typically engaged in response inhibition (i.e. precentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, inferior frontal cortex and middle frontal gyrus). BDs showed significantly greater activity in the right IFC relative to controls during successful inhibition, despite a lack of performance differences. These results provide new evidence about the anomalies on frontal inhibitory control linked to a risky drinking pattern in young adults.