Justin Verlinden: Next-Day Effects of Binge Drinking on Inhibitory Control in Laboratory and Naturalistic Settings

Binge drinking occurs at an alarmingly high rate, despite its negative consequences on behavior, health, and cognition. One acute cognitive consequence of binge drinking is the impairment of inhibitory control, or the ability to stop oneself from engaging in maladaptive or inappropriate behaviors. Specifically, during a binge episode, individuals display impaired inhibitory control while completing Go/NoGo or Stop Signal Tasks (SST). This impairment has been shown to be maintained for up to five hours post-drinking, even as breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) approaches zero. Evidence also suggests that binge drinking results in next-day deficits in attention, memory, and psychomotor speed. However, no study to date has assessed the next-day effects of binge drinking on inhibitory control. The objective of this proposal is to determine the influence of binge drinking on next-day inhibitory control. This objective will be addressed through two specific aims: 1) to determine the next-day effects of binge drinking on inhibitory control in a laboratory setting, and 2) to determine the next-day effects of binge drinking on inhibitory control in a real-world setting. For Aim 1, frequent binge drinkers will come to the laboratory for two sessions in which they will complete the SST to assess inhibitory control during a 90-minute intravenous infusion of either saline or a binge-equivalent dose of alcohol (peak BrAC of 100mg%) in a counterbalanced manner. Then, participants will spend the night in the laboratory under strict observation and complete the SST again the following morning (9.5 hours post-infusion) when BrAC is at or near zero. For Aim 2, the same participants from Aim 1 will complete the SST from home and answer questions about their previous day alcohol consumption every morning for 30 days. It is hypothesized that, for both aims, a prior evening binge episode will result in next-day impairments in inhibitory control relative to mornings in which no alcohol was consumed the evening prior. Completion of this research plan, in conjunction with mentored-directed training, coursework, and workshops, will provide training in three critical areas: 1) laboratory alcohol and cognitive research; 2) naturalistic alcohol and cognitive research; and 3) multilevel statistical modeling and multiple imputation. Results from these studies will lay the foundation for future research evaluating how next-day cognitive impairments from binge drinking influence subsequent drinking and risk-taking behaviors. The proposed training plan will provide crucial skills needed to continue this line of research focused on the cognitive and behavioral consequences of binge drinking.