Visual Alcohol Cue-Reactivity and Cognitive Control in Non-Dependent Heavy Alcohol Drinkers Assessed by Simultaneous fNIRS-EEG.

Objective: Addictive behavior is characterized by fast automatic responses to drug-related cues (termed ) and deficient cognitive control. The ability to detect errors is a prerequisite for an adaptive increase of cognitive control to prevent further errors. In the current study, cue-reactivity effects on cognitive control were assessed via hemodynamic activity within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG), assessing error monitoring (error-related negativity/error negativity, ERN/Ne) and error adaption in subsequent trials (N2). Nondependent social drinkers were the focus in this multimodal approach.

Method: Effects of alcohol consumption patterns and the personality trait of impulsivity were assessed in = 55 social drinkers. Hemodynamic activity within the dlPFC (cognitive control), error monitoring (ERN/Ne), post-error conflict monitoring (N2), error rates, and post-error slowing (PES) were measured during a modified Eriksen flanker task cued by beverage pictures.

Results: ERN/Ne amplitudes were reduced during alcohol-cued trials. Post-error adaption was reflected in increased dlPFC activity after errors, whereas N2 amplitudes were reduced. There was a correlation of impulsivity and alcohol-cued ERN/Ne amplitude that was mediated by alcohol consumption pattern.

Conclusions: Impulsivity-related decreases in error monitoring during cue reactivity were mediated by alcohol consumption pattern. However, cognitive control was not affected by cue reactivity, suggesting more complex interactions than previously assumed.