Midfrontal Theta Activity and Social Decision Making in Binge Drinkers

Abstract

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are highly comorbid, and their comorbidity is associated with worse outcomes for both disorders. Social avoidance behavior (SAB) influences the development of SAD and has also been associated with alcohol misuse. Further, EEG research has shown that the frontal midline theta (FMθ) is involved in approach-avoidance conflict and altered in people with AUD relative to healthy controls. Importantly, binge drinking is a known risk factor for the development of AUD; this risk is enhanced when combined with SAB. However, little is known about the neurophysiological underpinnings of SAB in people who binge drink. The current study used a community and undergraduate sample, placed into either an infrequent user control or binge drinking group. Drinking patterns and social anxiety were assessed at baseline, and FMθ activity and SAB were measured with a social approach-avoidance conflict task during an EEG session. There were no differences in FMθ activity, response time, or avoidance behavior between the infrequent user control and binge drinking groups in response to ambiguous and conflict face morph stimuli. As such, these results indicate that FMθ may not differ between those who engage in binge drinking and those who infrequently consume alcohol and that the neural and behavioral correlates of social conflict processing may differ from those of other conflict stimuli (e.g., financial risk).