The impact of alcohol-related words on automatic and controlled inhibitory functioning in alcohol-dependents with and without depression

Einleitung: This study aimed to investigate the impact of alcohol-related words on automatic and controlled inhibitory functioning in alcohol-dependents with and without depression compared to healthy controls. First, it was assumed that both groups of alcohol-dependents are more distracted by alcohol-related words than by negative words. Second, we expected alcohol-dependents with co-morbid depression to be more distracted by negative words than the other two study samples.

Methode: Alcohol-dependents without comorbidity (Alc, n = 28) and alcohol-dependents with major depression (D-Alc, n = 28) as well as healthy control participants with a moderate consume of alcohol (n = 28) completed a modified alcohol Stroop task and a directed forgetting paradigm based on word stimuli derived from three categories: neutral, negative, and alcohol-related words.

Diskussion/Ergebnisse: With respect to the Stroop interference effects our results show that not only the alcohol-dependents, but also the control participants were more distracted by alcohol-related words in comparison to negative words. In the directed forgetting procedure, all participants showed controlled inhibition of alcohol-related and negative words. The D-Alc-group even memorized more alcohol-related to-be-remembered words compared to negatively valenced words.

Schlussfolgerung: The results do not corroborate the hypothesis of impaired inhibitory functioning in alcohol-dependents. One assumption needing further investigation is that alcohol-dependents and especially those with comorbid depression try to compensate their alcohol-related attentional bias by improving their ability to protect working memory against irrelevant alcohol-related thoughts.