B - 18 Effect of Automatic Approach Tendency on Neural Dynamics in Heavy Drinkers: an ERP Study

Abstract Objective Automatic alcohol approach/avoidance tendencies play a major role in alcohol dependence, but associated interventions are seen to have negligible effects on relapse prevention due to a limited understanding and lack of focus on modulating associated neuro-cognitive mechanisms. The current work explores the automatic tendencies-based behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) differences and probes into the neurocognitive processes and responsible brain regions. Method The study was conducted in a laboratory setting on 19 heavy drinkers (Alc) and 20 non-drinkers (NAlc) males recruited using snowball sampling, where participants performed an Alcohol Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT), a task for assessing/categorizing participants with automatic approach (AAppr) and avoidance (AAvoi) tendencies toward alcohol during EEG recording. A 2 (group: Alc, NAlc) x 2 (automatic tendencies: approach, avoidance) ANOVA for behavioral outcomes and ANOVA with planned contrasts for Alc and NAlc, and AAppr and AAvoi groups comparisons were performed on early, mid, and late ERP measures. Results The group-tendency interaction significantly influenced behavioral AAT scores. At the neural level, the Alc and NAlc group differences were present at the occipital, parietal, and frontal sites. However, the AAppr and AAvoi group differences were only present at the frontal regions, and prominent for N100–200 and N350–450 amplitudes at the F4 electrode, an electrode sitting over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC), responsible for modulating attention, response inhibition, and decision-making processes. Conclusion The results clarify the role of frontal and right dLPFC areas in driving the differences in automatic tendencies by significantly suppressing the neural responses in heavy drinkers with approach but not avoidance tendencies.