Rewired Responses: Cognitive Control in Collegiate Substance Use
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Tim Martin
Department
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Abstract
Building on prior research that identified impairments in response inhibition among the adult in-patient addiction recovery demographic, this study aims to address previous limitations by introducing regression analyses to examine how collegiate participants with and without substance use histories differentiate between relevant and irrelevant stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the classical oddball task, a measure of ability to distinguish irrelevant from relevant stimuli. Using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography software (LORETA), we located the electric current sources in the brain. Preliminary LORETA analyses based on the current sample (n = 6 recovery, n = 50 controls) reveal significant differences in ERP source localization between groups, particularly in Brodmann Areas (BA) 6 and 39 (frontal and parietal lobes) and BAs 19-21 (occipital and temporal lobes). fMRI studies often associate BA 6 and 39 with cognitive control. At the same time, fMRI associated BA 19-21 with sensory processing, suggesting that individuals with substance use histories may exhibit diminished executive functions and a compensatory over-reliance on sensory processing. By introducing additional participants with substance use histories, we will explore if results are more robust with a larger sample. Further, we aim to investigate whether psychological factors, such as mindfulness, perceived daily stress, and traumatic experiences, significantly predict substance use and differences in brain activity within the collegiate populations.
Disciplines
Cognition and Perception | Experimental Analysis of Behavior | Neurosciences | Psychology | Statistical Models | Substance Abuse and Addiction
Rewired Responses: Cognitive Control in Collegiate Substance Use
Building on prior research that identified impairments in response inhibition among the adult in-patient addiction recovery demographic, this study aims to address previous limitations by introducing regression analyses to examine how collegiate participants with and without substance use histories differentiate between relevant and irrelevant stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during the classical oddball task, a measure of ability to distinguish irrelevant from relevant stimuli. Using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography software (LORETA), we located the electric current sources in the brain. Preliminary LORETA analyses based on the current sample (n = 6 recovery, n = 50 controls) reveal significant differences in ERP source localization between groups, particularly in Brodmann Areas (BA) 6 and 39 (frontal and parietal lobes) and BAs 19-21 (occipital and temporal lobes). fMRI studies often associate BA 6 and 39 with cognitive control. At the same time, fMRI associated BA 19-21 with sensory processing, suggesting that individuals with substance use histories may exhibit diminished executive functions and a compensatory over-reliance on sensory processing. By introducing additional participants with substance use histories, we will explore if results are more robust with a larger sample. Further, we aim to investigate whether psychological factors, such as mindfulness, perceived daily stress, and traumatic experiences, significantly predict substance use and differences in brain activity within the collegiate populations.