Chunk #39 — HOW DO NEURAL SIGNATURES ASSOCIATED WITH AUD HELP ELUCIDATE THE ROLE OF BRAIN FUNCTION IN THE RISK AND CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL USE AND AUD ACROSS THE LIFESPAN? — How does the social–environmental context (and interaction with genetic risk factors) impact brain functioning and ultimately impact risk for AUD?
has been found to impact offspring brain development, neurocognitive function, risk and resilience for AUD via both genetic and socio‐environmental factors. Using data from the COGA prospective cohort, COGA demonstrated that greater ‘closeness with father’ was associated with larger P300 amplitude and higher frontal theta power in offspring. 33 Also, ‘closeness with mother’ was associated with less binge drinking in offspring. Importantly, these associations remained significant beyond other relevant risk factors such as parental AUD, other substance use, income, education and offspring characteristics such as impulsivity. These findings suggest that close relationships with parents, during the critical period of adolescence, may mitigate the “neurodevelopmental lag” in individuals with heightened vulnerability to AUD and may contribute to more efficient neurocognitive functioning. 33
