The impact of sensation seeking personality trait on acute alcohol-induced disinhibition

BACKGROUND: Acute alcohol-related behavioral disinhibition has been well studied. But whether individual differences in the personality trait sensation seeking affect alcohol-induced behavioral disinhibition remains uncertain.

METHODS: The present study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique and a response inhibition task (i.e., Go/No-Go) to determine the impact of the sensation seeking trait on the relationship between acute alcohol administration and inhibitory control capacity, and further investigate the neural mechanisms underlying this behavioral effect. Twenty-five high-sensation seekers and twenty-six low-sensation seekers were enrolled in this study. These participants attended two sessions: once for alcohol intake (0.5g/kg) and once for placebo intake (0g/kg).

RESULTS: Our results showed that high-sensation seekers relative to low-sensation seekers showed a significant decrease in inhibition accuracy under alcohol versus the placebo condition. Moreover, reduced prefrontal activity following acute alcohol consumption was more pronounced in high-sensation seekers compared with low-sensation seekers.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that alcohol-induced behavioral disinhibition was affected by the personality trait sensation seeking and that recruitment of the prefrontal cortex contributed to the observed behavioral effect.