Alcohol binge drinking : negative and positive valence system abnormalities
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
Citation
Tolomeo , S , McFarlane , J A , Baldacchino , A , Koob , G F & Steele , J D 2020 , ' Alcohol binge drinking : negative and positive valence system abnormalities ' , Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging , vol. In press . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.09.010
Publication
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2451-9022Type
Journal article
Description
This work was supported by an award from Dundee University Medical School (ref. AT27) to ST and JDS. Spectroscopy was supported by an unrestricted ‘Work in Progress’ agreement with Siemens.Collections
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