Do Executive Functions Predict Binge-Drinking Patterns? Evidence from a Longitudinal Study in Young Adulthood

Abstract

Background: Impairments in executive functions (EFs) are related to binge drinking in young adulthood, but research on how EFs influence future binge drinking is lacking. The aim of the current report is therefore to investigate the association between various EFs and later severity of, and change in, binge drinking over a prolonged period during young adulthood.Methods: At baseline, 121 students reported on their alcohol habits (Alcohol use disorder identification test; Alcohol use questionnaire). Concurrently, EFs [working memory, reversal, set-shifting, response inhibition, response monitoring and decision-making (with ambiguity and implicit risk)] were assessed. Eighteen months later, information on alcohol habits for 103 of the participants were gathered. Data were analyzed by means of multilevel regression modeling.Results: Future severity of binge drinking was uniquely predicted by performance on the Information sampling task, assessing risky decision-making (β = -1.86, 95% CI: -3.69, -0.04). None of the study variables predicted severity or change in binge drinking.Conclusion: Future severity of binge drinking was associated with making risky decisions in the prospect for gain, suggesting reward hypersensitivity. Future studies should aim at clarifying whether there is a causal association between decision-making style and binge drinking. Performance on all executive tasks was unrelated to change in binge drinking patterns; however, the finding was limited by overall small changes, and needs to be confirmed with longer follow-up periods.

Identifying Inhibitory Subcomponents Associated with Changes in Binge Drinking Behavior: A 6‐Month Longitudinal Design

“…More specifically, research utilizing cross‐sectional designs does not assess changes in drinking behavior, which in turn are assessing a different construct. In a study that best replicates the current research, Bø and colleagues () did not report a significant association between SST and change in binge drinking behavior over an 18‐month time frame. It was postulated that changes in AUQ binge scores throughout participation were too small to induce an effect onto inhibitory processes, potentially explaining the contradiction in the results of the present study and those found in Bø and colleagues ().…”

“…Unfortunately, research investigating young adult's binge drinking behavior in association with inhibitory processing is limited and has produced inconsistent results. Several studies have found significant associations between behavioral inhibition and binge drinking (Colder and O'Connor, ; Czapla et al., ; Henges and Marczinski, ; Murphy and Garavan, ; Paz et al., ; Townshend and Duka, ; VanderVeen et al., ), while others were not able to establish significant links between the two (Bø et al., , ; Fernie et al., ; Goudriaan et al., ). Moreover, studies investigating inhibitory processing in relation to changes in binge drinking behavior over time, particularly among young adults, are nonexistent.…”

Behavioral and Cerebral Impairments Associated with Binge Drinking in Youth: A Critical Review

“…Nonetheless, although they did not observe flexibility impairments, Hartley et al (2004) identified group differences in other experimental tasks, suggesting that alternative factors could explain this difference (e.g., related to the control group, as these participants were either totally abstinent or low alcohol consumers in these studies). Finally, a continuous approach that targeted various drinking patterns rather than specific groups showed that shifting did not predict the binge drinking score 18 months later (Bø et al, 2017).…”

“…This study showed executive difficulties in binge drinkers compared with controls only in a group of older adolescents and young adults (19–22 years), thus proposing that behavioral impairments emerge only at this later stage of binge drinking habits. Among university students who had already initiated alcohol consumption, only risky decision making and not inhibitory control predicted the binge drinking score 18 months later (Bø et al, 2017). However, this study adopted a continuous approach to alcohol consumption (i.e., targeted the binge drinking score and did not propose group comparisons), and thus did not allow exploration of hazardous binge drinking.…”

Cognitive performance and mood after a normal night of drinking: A naturalistic alcohol hangover study in a non-student sample

“…Inconsistencies in findings relating to working memory exists in hangover research, therefore repetition of a free recall task using the same stimuli as McKinney and Coyle (2004) in a non-student sample was of interest. The CANTAB has been widely used to investigate mood and drug related cognitive impairment (Arvind et al, 2017; Bø, Billieux, Gjerde, Eilertsen, & Landrø, 2017; Schuster et al, 2018). Tasks from the CANTAB were chosen in order to gain specific insight into aspects of cognition that are not widely explored during a hangover e.g.…”