Neural Responses to the Implicit Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions in Binge Drinking

Abstract Aims Emotional processing is a crucial ability in human and impairments in the processing of emotions are considered as transdiagnostic processes in psychopathology. In alcohol use disorder, numerous studies have investigated emotional processing and showed emotional deficits related to the perpetuation of alcohol use. Recent studies have also explored this topic in binge drinking, but few studies are available. In this paper, we explored whether emotional difficulties in binge drinking may be extended to implicit emotion processing. Methods We compared 39 binge drinkers (BD) and 40 non-binge drinkers who performed a gender categorization task while faces represented emotional expressions of anger, fear, happiness and sadness. Emotional brain responses were assessed thanks to functional magnetic resonance imaging. Emotional versus non-emotional conditions were first contrasted in the whole sample and groups were then compared. Results Emotional condition led to differential activations than non-emotional condition, supporting the validity of the paradigm. Regarding group comparisons, BD exhibited higher activations in the left posterior cerebellum (anger processing) and the right anterior cingulate (fear processing) as well as lower activations in the left insula (happiness), the right post-central gyrus, the right cingulate gyrus and the right medial frontal gyrus (sadness processing). Conclusions Beyond emotional identification, BD presented differential brain responses following the implicit processing of emotions. Emotional difficulties in binge drinking might be related to a more automatic/unconscious processing of emotions.

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Decreased event-related theta power and phase-synchrony in young binge drinkers during target detection: An anatomically-constrained MEG approach

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881118805498 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 335-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

A Correas ◽

E López-Caneda ◽

L Beaton ◽

S Rodríguez Holguín ◽

LM García-Moreno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Frontal Cortex ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Target Detection ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Theta Power ◽

Inferior Frontal Cortex ◽

Binge Drinkers ◽

The Right ◽

Integrative Processing

Background: The prevalence of binge drinking has risen in recent years. It is associated with a range of neurocognitive deficits among adolescents and young emerging adults who are especially vulnerable to alcohol use. Attention is an essential dimension of executive functioning and attentional disturbances may be associated with hazardous drinking. The aim of the study was to examine the oscillatory neural dynamics of attentional control during visual target detection in emerging young adults as a function of binge drinking. Method: In total, 51 first-year university students (18 ± 0.6 years) were assigned to light drinking ( n = 26), and binge drinking ( n = 25) groups based on their alcohol consumption patterns. A high-density magnetoencephalography signal was combined with structural magnetic resonance imaging in an anatomically constrained magnetoencephalography model to estimate event-related source power in a theta (4–7 Hz) frequency band. Phase-locked co-oscillations were further estimated between the principally activated regions during task performance. Results: Overall, the greatest event-related theta power was elicited by targets in the right inferior frontal cortex and it correlated with performance accuracy and selective attention scores. Binge drinkers exhibited lower theta power and dysregulated oscillatory synchrony to targets in the right inferior frontal cortex, which correlated with higher levels of alcohol consumption. Conclusions: These results confirm that a highly interactive network in the right inferior frontal cortex subserves attentional control, revealing the importance of theta oscillations and neural synchrony for attentional capture and contextual maintenance. Attenuation of theta power and synchronous interactions in binge drinkers may indicate early stages of suboptimal integrative processing in young, highly functioning binge drinkers.

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Neural Correlates of Emotional Contagion Induced by Happy and Sad Expressions

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000160 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 114-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tokiko Harada ◽

Akiko Hayashi ◽

Norihiro Sadato ◽

Tetsuya Iidaka

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Emotional Contagion ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Facial Movements ◽

Parietal Lobes ◽

Fmri Study ◽

Evoked Activity ◽

The Right

Abstract. Facial expressions play a significant role in displaying feelings. A person’s facial expression automatically induces a similar emotional feeling in an observer; this phenomenon is known as emotional contagion. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying such emotional responses. We conducted an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to examine the neural substrates involved in automatic responses and emotional feelings induced by movies of another person’s happy and sad facial expressions. The fMRI data revealed observing happiness (vs. sadness) evoked activity in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, which is known to be responsible for positive emotional processing and fear inhibition. Conversely, observing sadness (vs. happiness) increased activity in the right superior temporal sulcus and bilateral inferior parietal lobes, which have been reported to be involved in negative emotional processing and the representation of facial movements. In addition, both expressions evoked activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus. These patterns of activity suggest that the observation of dynamic facial expressions automatically elicited dissociable and partially overlapping responses for happy and sad emotions.

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Effects of topiramate on neural responses to alcohol cues in treatment-seeking individuals with alcohol use disorder: preliminary findings from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1038/s41386-021-00968-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Reagan R. Wetherill ◽

Nathaniel Spilka ◽

Kanchana Jagannathan ◽

Paige Morris ◽

Danielle Romer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Cue Reactivity ◽

A Priori ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Double Blind ◽

Alcohol Cues ◽

Brain Responses ◽

The Right

AbstractTopiramate, a GABA/glutamate modulator, is efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption, though the mechanisms underlying this effect are not well characterized. This study analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 22 heavy drinkers enrolled in a 12-week placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of topiramate to examine the effects of topiramate on alcohol cue-elicited brain responses, craving, and heavy drinking in individuals with DSM-5 alcohol use disorder. Patients were randomized to receive either topiramate (maximal daily dosage of 200 mg/day) or placebo and were administered an fMRI alcohol cue-reactivity task at baseline (before starting medication) and after 6 weeks of double-blind treatment. Analyses compared the topiramate (n = 12) and placebo (n = 8) groups on (1) the change in brain responses during alcohol cue exposure (vs non-alcohol cues) within five a priori regions of interest related to reward—the bilateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and bilateral ventral striatum (VS) and (2) change in craving and heavy drinking days (HDDs) from baseline and scan 2. Topiramate, relative to placebo, reduced alcohol cue-elicited activation of the left VS, bilateral OFC, and medial OFC, alcohol cue-elicited craving, and HDDs between baseline and 6 weeks of treatment. The reduction in alcohol cue-elicited activation in the medial OFC correlated with reductions in craving, and reduced activation in the right VS, right OFC, and medial OFC correlated with the reduction in HDD. This preliminary study provides evidence that topiramate’s attenuation of alcohol cue-elicited brain activation and craving are key elements of the drug’s neurobiological mechanism of action in reducing heavy drinking.

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Effects of the COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Alcohol Consumption and Binge Drinking in College Students: A Longitudinal Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189822 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9822

Author(s):

Margarida Vasconcelos ◽

Alberto Crego ◽

Rui Rodrigues ◽

Natália Almeida-Antunes ◽

Eduardo López-Caneda

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Alcohol Craving ◽

Binge Drinkers ◽

The Impact

To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 contagion, several countries ordered lockdowns amid the pandemic along with indications on social distancing. These social isolation measures could potentially bring alterations to healthy behavior, including to alcohol consumption. However, there is hardly any scientific evidence of the impact of such measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) among young adults, and how they relate to alcohol craving, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. We addressed these questions by conducting a longitudinal study with 146 Portuguese college students—regular binge drinkers (regular BDs), infrequent binge drinkers (infrequent BDs) and non-binge drinkers (non-BDs)—in three moments: before the pandemic (Pre-Lockdown), during lockdown (Lockdown) and 6 months after (Post-Lockdown). Results revealed that regular BDs decreased alcohol use during Lockdown, a change in behavior that was even greater during Post-Lockdown, when regular BDs displayed similar levels of consumption to infrequent/non-BDs. Additionally, alcohol craving and living with friends were predictive of alcohol use during Lockdown, whereas stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms did not contribute to explain changes in drinking behavior. Collectively, the results suggest that BD in young Portuguese college students can be stopped when the contexts in which alcohol intake usually takes place are suppressed, which may have important implications for future prevention and intervention strategies.

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Factors associated with different forms of alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan: a cross-sectional study

Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy ◽

10.1186/s13011-020-00315-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tandin Dorji ◽

Peeradone Srichan ◽

Tawatchai Apidechkul ◽

Rachanee Sunsern ◽

Wipob Suttana

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Low Income ◽

High Income ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significance Level ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Binge Drinkers

Abstract Background Alcohol use has impacts on several dimensions of health, including physical health and mental health, particularly in college-age populations. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence and to determine factors associated with alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan. Methods A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data from the participants. A simple random method was used to select the participants from the lists of students who were attending the four selected colleges in Bhutan in the academic year of 2019. A questionnaire was developed, and validity and reliability were verified before use. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe the general characteristics of participants, while logistic regression was used to detect the associations between variables at the significance level of α = 0.05. Results A total of 432 college students were recruited into the study, of whom 62.0% were females. The average age was 20.0 years, 40.7% were the third-year students, and 79.9% lived in college dormitories. The prevalence of current drinking was 51.6% and that of binge drinking was 19.4%. After controlling for all potential confounder factors, three variables were found to be associated with current drinking: students who had low income were more likely to be current drinkers than those who had high income (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.29–5.21); students who did not use tobacco were more likely to be current drinkers than those students who used tobacco (AOR = 6.99, 95% CI = 2.90–16.81); and students who had close friends who did not use alcohol were more likely to be current drinkers than those who had close friends who used alcohol (AOR = 5.14, 95% CI = 3.04–8.69). Four factors were found to be associated with binge drinking after controlling for all possible confounder factors: students who had high income were more likely to be binge drinkers than those who had low income (AOR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.72–5.31); students who used tobacco were more likely to be binge drinkers than those students who did not use tobacco (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.35–3.87); students whose parents used alcohol were more likely to be binge drinkers than those students whose parents did not use alcohol (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.02–3.01); and students whose close friends used alcohol were more likely to be binge drinkers than those who had close friends who did not use alcohol (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.05–4.87). Conclusions There is a high prevalence in alcohol use among the college students in Bhutan. Effective health promotion programs should be implemented by focusing on reducing the alcohol consumption among college students.

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Brain Responsivity to Emotional Faces Differs in Alcoholic Men and Women

10.1101/496166 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marlene Oscar-Berman ◽

Susan Mosher Ruiz ◽

Ksenija Marinkovic ◽

Mary M. Valmas ◽

Gordon J. Harris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Gender Effects ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Reverse Direction ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Neuropsychological Dysfunction ◽

Emotional Faces ◽

The Right ◽

Emotional Face

AbstractInclusion of women in alcoholism research has shown that gender differences contribute to unique profiles of cognitive, emotional, and neuropsychological dysfunction. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of abstinent long-term alcoholics (21 women [ALCw] and 21 men [ALCm]) and demographically-similar nonalcoholic controls (21 women [NCw] and 21 men [NCm]) to explore how gender and alcoholism interact to influence emotional processing and memory. Participants completed a delayed match-to-sample emotional face memory fMRI task. While the results corroborated reports implicating amygdalar, superior temporal, and cerebellar involvement in emotional processing overall, the alcoholic participants showed hypoactivation of the left intraparietal sulcus to encoding the identity of the emotional face stimuli. The nonalcoholic participants demonstrated more reliable gender differences in neural responses to encoding the identity of the emotional faces than did the alcoholic group, and widespread neural responses to these stimuli were more pronounced in the NCw than in the NCm. By comparison, gender differences among ALC participants were either smaller or in the opposite direction (higher brain activation in ALCm than ALCw). Specifically, Group by Gender interaction effects indicated stronger responses to emotional faces by ALCm than ALCw in the left superior frontal gyrus and the right inferior frontal sulcus, while NCw had stronger responses than NCm. However, this pattern was inconsistent throughout the brain, with results suggesting the reverse direction of gender effects in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex. Together, these findings demonstrated that gender plays a significant role in the profile of functional brain abnormalities observed in alcoholism.

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The Proportion of Binge Drinking Among Female Social Drinkers of Kalingalinga in Lusaka, Zambia: A Pilot Study

Global Psychiatry ◽

10.2478/gp-2019-0005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 43-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Danny Vumbi Likashi ◽

Ravi Paul ◽

Luty Jason

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

General Population ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Alcohol Misuse ◽

Capital City ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Hazardous Alcohol Use ◽

Social Drinkers ◽

Hazardous Alcohol ◽

Binge Drinkers

AbstractObjectivesAlcohol is a psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. Alcohol’s harmful use causes large burden diseases like social and economic burden in societies. Binge drinking is one of the commonest forms of alcohol misuse and has been on an increase among many young women, who find alcohol a source of pleasure and enjoyment when they have timeout with friends and peers. Since binge drinking involves consumption of alcohol on an irregular basis, it may not be viewed as a hazardous form of alcohol use by many drinkers. The present study is aimed at estimating the proportion of female binge drinkers in the population of female social drinkers in Kalingalinga township of Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. We hypothesised that the proportion of binge drinking in the population of female social drinkers is significantly high.MethodsThrough snowball sampling, 100 questionnaires (i.e., Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-AUDIT) were successfully distributed to and collected from the female social drinkers aged 20–39 years between August and September, 2016. A two-fold process was followed in identifying the binge drinkers; screening for hazardous alcohol drinkers by identifying those that scored 8 points or above in the first place, and thereafter, identifying binge drinking characteristics from the hazardous drinkers by following scores from the first three questions on the AUDIT.ResultsThe results reviewed that 54 of the 100 participants had some form of hazardous alcohol use and 30 of the 54 hazardous drinkers possessed some binge drinking characteristics. The proportion of female binge drinkers in a population of female alcohol drinkers was estimated to be 0.556 (56.6%), while in the general population, it was estimated to be 0.094. This implies that 9.4% of women aged 20–39 years of Kalingalinga in Lusaka engage in alcohol binge drinking, consuming on average 7–9 drinks on occasion almost on a weekly basis. Further, if 56% of all female alcohol drinkers aged 20–39 years seem to engage in some form of alcohol binge drinking, it means that that binge drinking is the highest form of alcohol misuse among these female drinkers.ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest that there is more alcohol binge drinking among the female social drinkers of Kalingalinga in Lusaka, with an estimated proportion of 0.556 (55.6%) among the female alcohol drinkers and 0.094 (9.4%) in the general population of females aged between 20–39 years. The implication is that alcohol binge drinking seems to be the highest form of alcohol misuse among female drinkers in Kalingalinga.

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Multimodal brain imaging connectivity analyses of emotional and motivational deficits in depression among women

Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience ◽

10.1503/jpn.200074 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. E303-E312

Author(s):

Gabriel Robert ◽

Elise Bannier ◽

Magali Comte ◽

Lea Domain ◽

Isabelle Corouge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Internal Capsule ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Diffusion Weighted Mri ◽

Moderate Sample Size ◽

Degenerative Disorders ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

The Right ◽

Negative Stimuli

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by impaired cortical–subcortical functional connectivity. Apathy adds to functional impairment, but its cerebral basis in MDD remains unknown. Our objective was to describe impairments in functional connectivity during emotional processing in MDD (with varying levels of congruency and attention), and to determine their correlation with apathy. Methods: We used the Variable Attention Affective Task during functional MRI, followed by diffusion-weighted MRI, to assess 55 right-handed women (30 with MDD and 25 healthy controls) between September 2012 and February 2015. We estimated functional connectivity using generalized psychophysiologic interaction and anatomic connectivity with tract-based spatial statistics. We measured apathy using the Apathy Evaluation Scale. Results: We found decreased functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during negative stimuli in participants with MDD (t54 = 4.2; p = 0.035, family-wise error [FWE]–corrected). During high-attention stimuli, participants with MDD showed reduced functional connectivity between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right ACC (t54 = 4.06, pFWE = 0.02), but greater functional connectivity between the right dlPFC and the right amygdala (t54 = 3.35, p = 0.048). Apathy was associated with increased functional connectivity between the right dlPFC and the right ACC during high-attention stimuli (t28 = 5.2, p = 0.01) and increased fractional anisotropy in the right posterior cerebellum, the anterior and posterior cingulum and the bilateral internal capsule (all pFWE < 0.05). Limitations: Limitations included a moderate sample size, concomitant antidepressant therapy and no directed connectivity. Conclusion: We found that MDD was associated with impairments in cortical–subcortical functional connectivity during negative stimuli that might alter the recruitment of networks engaged in attention. Apathy-related features suggested networks similar to those observed in degenerative disorders, but possible different mechanisms.

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Decreased Functional Connectivity in the Reward Network and Its Relationship With Negative Emotional Experience After Total Sleep Deprivation

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.641810 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Zhang ◽

Cimin Dai ◽

Yongcong Shao ◽

Jiaxi Peng ◽

Yan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Sleep Deprivation ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Emotional Experience ◽

Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Seed Region ◽

Total Sleep Deprivation ◽

The Right ◽

Reward Network

Sleep deprivation (SD) induces a negative emotional experience due to a prolonged time spent awake. However, few studies have focused on the mechanism underlying communication within brain networks or alterations during this emotional deterioration. We propose that negative reward judgment is important in poor emotional processing after SD, which will be reflected in functional connectivity in the reward network. We sought to analyze alterations in functional connectivity within the reward network and cerebral cortex. Furthermore, we analyzed changes in functional connectivity correlation with negative emotional experience after SD. Twenty-six healthy volunteers participated in this study. Two resting-state fMRI scans were obtained from the participants, once during resting wakefulness, and once after 36 h of total SD. The bilateral nucleus accumbens (NAc) was selected as a seed region for region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI functional connectivity analysis. Correlation analyses between functional connectivity alterations within the reward network and negative emotional experience were also performed. We found that SD decreased functional connectivity between the left NAc and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared with resting wakefulness. There was a decreased functional connectivity with the ACC and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) after SD in the right NAc. Furthermore, decreased functional connectivity between the right NAc and right IFG, and NAc and ACC was negatively correlated with emotional experience scores. Sleep deprivation decreased functional connectivity within the reward network. This may be associated with the enhanced negative emotional experience that was found after total sleep deprivation.

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Romanian young people’s drinking habits

Acta Medica Marisiensis ◽

10.2478/amma-2014-0039 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 186-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pálma Bucur ◽

Ibolya Fülöp ◽

Md Croitoru

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Young People ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Drunk Driving ◽

World Health ◽

Drinking Habits ◽

The People ◽

Binge Drinkers ◽

Health Organization ◽

Self Reporting Questionnaire

Abstract Objective: Alcohol use can cause social problems. Beside alcoholism the “binge drinking” and the “pre-drinking” could be a harmful form of alcohol use based on scientific literature data. In this study the alcohol use behaviors and associated problems were evaluated among young people aged between 14-30 years. Methods: The study was carried out using a self reporting questionnaire, containing the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) developed by World Health Organization and 10 more questions. This questionnaire was created in two languages (Romanian, Hungarian) and uploaded to the on-line survey page (www.kwiksurveys.com). The link was shared at different Facebook groups. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 933 young people. There was a predominance of females (66.99%) and the participant’s average age was 22.12 years (±2.78). The results show that males’ relative risk (RR) for alcoholism is 7.18 (CI95%, 3.47-14.85). Majority (539; 57.77%) of the participants had at least one time binge drinking, from this 36.66% were occasionally binge drinkers and 21.11% were regular binge drinkers. More males binge drinkers were found then females (RR: 1.72; CI95%, 1.55-1.90). The people who participate in pre-drinking have RR of 2.14 (CI95%, 1.89-2.41) for binge drinking. The binge drinkers have RR of 2.58 (CI95%, 1.78-3.37) for drunk driving. Conclusions: Binge drinking is a really common habit among young people. Measures to reduce the risk or prevent the harmful consequences of this habit should be employed.

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