title: Effects of alcohol on disinhibition towards alcohol-related cues.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated (1) the effects of acute alcohol on inhibition of alcohol-related versus neutral cues, (2) the effects of drinking status on inhibition of alcohol-related versus neutral cues, and (3) the similarity of any effects of alcohol or drinking status across two different cue types (lexical versus pictorial).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants received 0.0 g/kg, 0.4 g/kg or 0.6g/kg of alcohol in a between-subjects design. Healthy, heavy and light social alcohol users (n=96) completed both lexical and pictorial cue versions of an alcohol-shifting task. Participants were instructed to respond to target stimuli by pressing the spacebar, but to ignore distracter stimuli. Errors towards distracter stimuli were analysed using a series of mixed-model ANOVAs, with between-subjects factors of challenge and drinking status and within-subjects factors of distracter type (alcohol, neutral) and block (shift, non-shift).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lexical commission error data indicated a main effect of distracter (F [1,90]=43.25, p<0.001, η(2)=0.33), which was qualified by a marginal interaction with challenge condition (F [2,90]=2.77, p=0.068, η(2)=0.06). Following an acute high dose of alcohol participants made more errors towards alcohol distracters. Pictorial commission error data indicated a significant main effect of distracter (F [1,90]=67.40, p<0.001, η(2)=0.43), such that all participants made more errors towards neutral image distracters versus alcohol distracter images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results reveal acute alcohol's impairment of inhibitory control may be enhanced when a response towards alcohol-related lexical stimuli is required to be withheld.
authors: School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK. sally.adams@bristol.ac.uk
authors: Sally
authors: S
authors: Adams
authors: Alia F
authors: AF
authors: Ataya
authors: Angela S
authors: AS
authors: Attwood
authors: Marcus R
authors: MR
authors: Munafò
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D003463:Cues; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol