Heightened motor impairment as a protective factor against heavy drinking in individuals with high alcohol‐induced disinhibition

• Published in: Alcohol, clinical & experimental research clinical & experimental research, 2023-02, Vol.47 (2), p.414-424
• Main Authors: Allen, Holley C., Weafer, Jessica, Wesley, Michael J., Fillmore, Mark T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acute tolerance; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; alcohol sensitivity; Alcohol use; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholic Intoxication; behavioral disinhibition; cued go/no‐go; Drinking behavior; Ethanol; Humans; motor coordination; Motor Disorders - chemically induced; Placebos; Protective Factors; Psychomotor Performance; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 0145-6008; 2993-7175; 1530-0277; 2993-7175
• DOI: 10.1111/acer.15003

Background Behavioral disinhibition and motor impairment are both acutely elevated following alcohol consumption, and individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol‐induced increases in these effects are associated with drinking habits. Specifically, high alcohol‐induced disinhibition and low motor impairment have been identified as separate markers for alcohol‐related problems. This study tested the degree to which alcohol‐induced disinhibition and motor impairment jointly predict heavy drinking. We hypothesized that heavier drinkers would exhibit a combination of high sensitivity to alcohol‐induced disinhibition and low sensitivity to its motor impairing effect. Methods Data from three studies were aggregated to comprise a sample of 96 young adults. Participants' motor coordination (grooved pegboard) and behavioral disinhibition (cued go/no‐go) were assessed following consumption of 0.65 g/kg alcohol and a placebo during separate sessions. Results As BAC was ascending, alcohol increased motor impairment and disinhibition compared to placebo. Combined effects at this time of alcohol on motor impairment and disinhibition predicted typical drinking habits. Specifically, a combination of high sensitivity to alcohol's disinhibiting effect and low sensitivity to its motor impairing effect was associated with heavy drinking. As BAC was descending, only reduced sensitivity to motor impairment remained as a predictor of heavy drinking. Conclusions The findings suggest that although motor impairment following alcohol consumption is associated with certain negative outcomes (e.g., increased risk for physical injury and motor vehicle accidents), such heightened motor impairment from alcohol may actually serve as a protective factor against the excessive drinking that can accompany the disinhibiting effect of alcohol. As BAC was rising, a combination of low sensitivity to alcohol‐induced motor impairment and high sensitivity to alcohol‐induced disinhibition was associated with heavier drinking in a sample of 96 young adults. Although motor impairment following alcohol consumption is associated with certain negative outcomes (e.g., physical injury and motor vehicle accidents), results from this study suggest that such heightened motor impairment may actually serve as a protective factor against the excessive drinking that can accompany the disinhibiting effect of alcohol.