Inhibitory control and cue salience in alcohol abuse

We are investigating the causes and consequences of alcohol use, particularly binge drinking, in young people. This research will tell us why people behave the way that they do when they are drunk, and it will also tell us about the factors that put young people (aged 12-13) at risk for heavy drinking, and the long-term consequences of heavy drinking in these people.

We know that chronic heavy drinking in adults is associated with many psychological changes, including increased ‘impulsivity’ and an increase in the attractiveness of alcohol-related pictures. Similarly, laboratory research demonstrates that people behave more impulsively, and alcohol-related pictures seem more attractive, after they have consumed moderate doses of alcohol.

In this research, we will investigate two related issues. Firstly, we will conduct a large longitudinal study with schoolchildren, which will assess how impulsivity and the attractiveness of alcohol pictures change in relation to alcohol consumption over a period of two years. Secondly, in a series of laboratory experiments involving university students, we will investigate the psychological mechanisms through which alcohol intoxication can increase impulsivity and make alcohol-related pictures seem more attractive.

Acute alcohol intoxication and chronic alcohol abuse are associated with deficits in inhibitory control and increases in the motivational significance of alcohol-related cues (cue salience). The proposed research will involve laboratory experiments with human volunteers to address a number of specific research questions. Firstly, we will investigate which specific components of inhibitory control, impulsivity, and cue salience are most closely associated with heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse, in adolescents and young adults recruited from the general population. We will also investigate whether these phenomena arise as a consequence of heavy alcohol consumption, or whether they pre-date alcohol involvement and act as risk-factors for the development of subsequent alcohol-related problems. Finally, we will clarify the psychological mechanisms that mediate the effects of alcohol intoxication on these processes, and we will test the hypothesis that heavy drinkers are particularly impaired on these processes when intoxicated. The results will have important implications for our understanding of the effects of alcohol intoxication and binge drinking on impulsivity and associated behaviours, i.e. risk taking. They will also further our understanding of the consequences of heavy alcohol consumption on cognition and behaviour, and they will provide important information about potential risk-factors for alcohol problems in adolescents. Results will be of interest to a broad audience, including academic researchers, clinicians, alcohol charities, local councils, the police, and the general public, and our dissemination strategy will ensure that all of these groups / individuals become aware of the results.