title: Prospective memory impairments in heavy social drinkers are partially overcome by future event simulation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent research suggests that alcohol acutely impairs prospective memory (PM), and this impairment can be overcome using a strategy called 'future event simulation' (FES). Impairment in event-based PM found in detoxifying alcohol-dependent participants is reversed through FES. However, the impact of the most common problematic drinking patterns that do not involve alcohol dependence on PM remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Here, we examine the impact of frequent heavy drinking on PM and the degree to which any impairments can be reversed through FES.
  
  
  METHODS
  PM was assessed in 19 heavy drinkers (AUDIT scores ≥ 15) and 18 matched control participants (AUDIT scores ≤ 7) using the 'Virtual Week' task both at baseline and again following FES.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heavy drinkers performed significantly worse than controls on regular and irregular time-based PM tasks. FES improved the performance of controls but not of heavy drinkers on time-based tasks. In contrast, FES improved heavy drinkers' performance on event-based PM tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that heavy drinkers experience deficits in strategic monitoring processing associated with time-based PM tasks which do not abate after FES. That the same strategy improves their event-based PM suggests that FES may be helpful for individuals with problematic drinking patterns in improving their prospective memory.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Sunjeev K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kamboj
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Italiano
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rendell
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. v.curran@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: H Valerie
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Curran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000187:drug effects; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; Alcohol use disorders; Future event simulation; Prospective memory