Amygdala-orbitofrontal functional connectivity mediates the relationship between sensation seeking and alcohol use among binge-drinking adults

Excessive alcohol use (defined as consumption exceeding governmental guidelines) is linked to many adverse health outcomes and is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States (Stahre et al., 2014). In addition, excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for developing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) (Chassin et al., 2002) and is associated with substantial negative psychosocial, cognitive, and health outcomes (CDC, 2016; Courtney and Polich, 2009; Jennison, 2004). Nevertheless, excessive alcohol use is quite prevalent in the United States; in 2015, more than 27% of individuals aged 18 or older reported past month excessive alcohol use (NIAAA, 2017), including binge drinking (i.e., consuming at least 4 drinks for women and at least 5 drinks for men on a single occasion (SAMHSA, 2016)) and heavy drinking (i.e., consuming at least 8 drinks for women and at least 15 drinks for men per week (CDC, 2018)).

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - September 18, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Natania A. Crane, Stephanie M. Gorka, K. Luan Phan, Emma Childs Tags: Full length article Source Type: research