Failed control over alcohol consumption, which has been correlated with measures of alcohol dependence and negatively predictive of treatment outcome (Heather et al., 1998), was found here to negatively relate to LECN connectivity strength, suggesting an underlying mechanism for control dysfunction. Specifically, deficits in the connectivity integrity between key structures may be involved in loss of control over drinking. A primary structure that showed reduced edge connectivity was the DLPFC, a region associated with top-down attentional focus thought to be involved in cognitive control over memory representations. This control is hypothesized to be influenced by emotional information and impacts including that from the MFG, which is implicated in mood awareness and regulation; the MFG was another primary node with poor edge connectivity. We also identified poor connectivity with the parietal lobe node which is suggested to be involved in the complementary roles of sustaining attention and responding to salient stimuli (Singh-Curry and Husain, 2009). Thus reduced connectivity between these critical regions, across our large ALC sample, suggests inefficient in-network communication of goals and priorities, potentially contributing to poor behavioral control.
