Dysregulation of inhibitory control in young adult binge drinkers: Neuroimaging evidence of gender differences associated with misusing alcohol to cope with negative affect

• Binge drinkers (BDs) showed inhibitory deficits on a Go/NoGo task during fMRI • Greater prefrontal & subcortical activation in BDs correlated with binge episodes • BD women had greater left inferior frontal (LIFC) activation relative to BD men • LIFC mediated the impact of coping motives on binge drinking in BD women • Women BDs are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol on inhibitory dysregulation Impaired inhibitory control contributes to compulsive drinking and increased risk of alcohol misuse. While the neural underpinnings of inhibitory control have been well documented, imaging evidence in binge drinkers (BDs) is scarce. Notably lacking are studies that consider gender differences, even though women are at greater risk of alcohol use disorder, cognitive deficits, and emotion dysregulation comorbidities. To address these gaps, the present study recruited young adult women and men (N = 83; women = 44) differing in levels of alcohol consumption who were scanned with fMRI during an inhibitory Go/NoGo task. Deficient inhibition in BDs was reflected in lower accuracy on NoGo trials and a tendency to respond faster than light drinkers (LDs) who drink regularly but in low-risk patterns. fMRI revealed greater activation to NoGo trials in BDs than LDs in the left inferolateral and medial frontal cortices and bilateral basal ganglia, which was positively associated with a recent history of binge drinking. Importantly, these differences were particularly pronounced in BD women, who showed enhanced activation in the left inferior frontal cortex (LIFC) compared to BD men. LIFC activation correlated with binge drinking and drinking to cope with negative emotions only in BD women. Moreover, greater LIFC activation mediated the impact of coping motives on binge drinking in BD women, suggesting that coping-related negative affect may exacerbate their alcohol misuse. This novel finding offers insight into potential gender differences in inhibitory control dysregulation in young BDs supporting other evidence of women’s heightened sensitivity to the effects of alcohol.