Spatial Attention in Binge-Drinking and Moderate-Drinking College Students: An fMRI Investigation

College-age binge drinking is considered a developmental disturbance that may give rise to unique treatment challenges. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the completion of a spatial Stroop task to compare brain activation of 24 college-aged participants: 12 moderate drinkers (MoD) and 12 binge drinkers (BD). Overall, the BD showed a significant reduction in reaction time and accuracy in performing this task, while concurrently displaying less overall brain activation than moderate-drinking controls. In general, the BD showed decreased activity in regions related to rule discovery but hyperactivation in areas thought to mediate attention and response inhibition. Implications for treatment are discussed.