Quantitative EEG Assessment of Cue-Induced Changes in Brain Activity in Alcohol Use Disorders

Exposure to alcohol related cues, such as the sight of alcoholic drinks, may induce craving for alcohol in drinkers. In this study, the effects of exposure to (1) the pictures of alcoholic drinks and (2) the imagining of a scene related to drinking on activity in the frontal region of the brain in heavy social drinkers will be determined. This study is being conducted to develop the methods needed to allow for the detection of cue-induced changes in drinkers using the EEG. The objective of this pilot study is to establish procedures for detecting alcohol-related cue-elicited changes in EEG activity in heavy drinkers.