The present study comprised heavy drinkers. While a family history of alcoholism confers a genetic proclivity for alcoholism, heavy recent drinking is an emerging expression of that proclivity and constitutes a significant increased risk for a lifetime alcohol disorder (Hasin et al., 1997). As both groups in our study were well matched in recent drinking, HD-FHP’s greater medial frontal response to alcoholic drink aromas is more likely to represent something beyond risk survival. Thus, while those with a family history of alcoholism may have lower electrophysiological responses to novel stimuli (Ehlers et al., 2001; Finn, Ramsey, & Earleywine, 2000; O’Connor et al., 1994; Polich, Pollock, & Bloom, 1994), such individuals may also possess frontal areas that respond more strongly to stimuli associated with alcohol (also see Tapert et al., 2003). Longitudinal follow-up would be required to determine whether such a functional difference predicts future dependence. Whether a family history of alcoholism in social drinkers (a group not studied here) results in similar pattern of medial prefrontal responses to alcohol cues also remains to be determined.
