Psychiatry

Comprehensive Summary

Ghin et al. investigates changes in functional connectivity associated with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD), specifically in the aspects of alpha band activity (ABA) and theta band activity (TBA), which are associated with top-down/inhibitory processing. In this study, 123 participants aged 18-40 years were recruited and assigned to 3 groups - control (n=64) and AUD (n = 59). All subjects underwent a behavioral task assessing inhibitory control and simultaneous brain activity recording (EEG). EEG signals were then further processed to determine their origins among the regions of the brain via the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm. To determine connectivity, the processed signals were interpreted by an artificial neural network named nCREANN. From the behavioral results, it was found that an AUD diagnosis was not associated with a decrease in inhibitory function - however, decreases in inhibitory function were found to be more significantly associated with higher frequencies of alcohol consumption. From ABA analysis, it was found that participants with AUD exhibited differential brain activity between the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. For the control group, ABA-based connectivity was significant between the medial temporal lobe, superior frontal gyrus, and superior parietal lobe. Due to a lack of significant data, TBA-based connectivity was not analyzed in the AUD group, but within the control group, it was found that behavioral testing stimulated connectivity between the posterior medial cortex, temporal lobe, and prefrontal cortex.

Outcomes and Implications

AUD is a disorder that has been associated with alterations in brain activity, yet it has previously been unclear whether or not alterations in functional connectivity are present in early AUD. Because AUD is a leading cause of illness worldwide, it is crucial that the physiological mechanisms of the disorder are investigated to aid in health measures toward treating and preventing AUD. This study's findings indicate differences in functional connectivity between individuals with mild to moderate AUD and healthy controls. This points to potential neurological targets for future intervention efforts. From the authors of this study, future research should investigate changes in connectivity over time in individuals with AUD.

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