Ana Sion1, Rosa Jurado-Barba2, M José Alvarez-Alonso1, Gabriel Rubio-Valladolid3. 1. 12 de Octubre Research Institute. University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid. Spain. 2. 12 de Octubre Research Institute. University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid. Spain Psychology Department. Health Science Faculty. Camilo José Cela University. Madrid. Spain Basic Psychology II Department. Psychology Faculty. Complutense de Madrid University. Spain Biomedical research network in mental health (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental, CIBERSAM). 3. 12 de Octubre Research Institute. University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid. Spain Psychiatry Unit. University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid. Spain Medicine Faculty. Complutense de Madrid University. Spain Addictive Disorders Network (Red de Trastornos adictivos, RETIS), Carlos III Institute, Madrid. Spain.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Inhibitory control is clearly impaired in alcohol dependent individuals, being associated to the addiction process establishment and abstinence maintenance difficulties. Inhibitory control assessment tasks involving responses to neutral stimuli are available, although a Spanish version task including contextual cues influence on inhibition capacity has not been performed yet. Alcohol related stimuli can modify behavioural inhibition performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was the Spanish translation of a modified stop signal task that assessed inhibitory control, as well as the degree of interference produced by the presence of alcohol related words. METHODOLOGY: A modified stop signal reaction task, based on a fast lexical decision paradigm was employed. Stimuli used were translated from Zack et al.1, according to frequency of use in Spanish, including neutral words, pseudowords and alcohol-related words. Task was applied to 85 alcohol dependent patients, with a minimum of 28 days of abstinence and to 27 healthy participants constituting the control group. RESULTS: Patients showed a poorer performance, with a lower stop signal mean delay comparing to control group, in presence of neutral and alcohol-related words. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol dependent individuals exhibit a lower behavioural inhibition performance, added to a significant influence of contextual cues on the stop signal task, resulting in impulsive behaviour, only in the patients group.
INTRODUCTION: Inhibitory control is clearly impaired in alcohol dependent individuals, being associated to the addiction process establishment and abstinence maintenance difficulties. Inhibitory control assessment tasks involving responses to neutral stimuli are available, although a Spanish version task including contextual cues influence on inhibition capacity has not been performed yet. Alcohol related stimuli can modify behavioural inhibition performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was the Spanish translation of a modified stop signal task that assessed inhibitory control, as well as the degree of interference produced by the presence of alcohol related words. METHODOLOGY: A modified stop signal reaction task, based on a fast lexical decision paradigm was employed. Stimuli used were translated from Zack et al.1, according to frequency of use in Spanish, including neutral words, pseudowords and alcohol-related words. Task was applied to 85 alcohol dependent patients, with a minimum of 28 days of abstinence and to 27 healthy participants constituting the control group. RESULTS:Patients showed a poorer performance, with a lower stop signal mean delay comparing to control group, in presence of neutral and alcohol-related words. CONCLUSIONS:Alcohol dependent individuals exhibit a lower behavioural inhibition performance, added to a significant influence of contextual cues on the stop signal task, resulting in impulsive behaviour, only in the patients group.