This finding suggests a possible effect of familial history in reward cue processing in these heavy drinking subjects, and builds upon reported alterations in the reward system using animal models of familial alcoholism. For example, a selectively bred alcohol preference is associated with reduced dopamine content in the ventral striatum (see Murphy et al., 2002) and medial prefrontal (Engleman et al., 2006) and cingulate cortex (Zhou et al., 1995). Lower frontal serotonin— a neurotransmitter implicated in inhibitory control and impulsivity (Pattij & Vanderschuren, 2008)— has been found, as well (Gongwer et al., 1989; Murphy et al., 1987). Human electrophysiology shows that the P3 response to novel stimuli is lower in individuals with a family history of alcoholism (Polich, Pollock, & Bloom, 1994), with some studies finding this most apparent frontally (Ehlers et al., 2001; also see Finn, Ramsey, & Earleywine, 2000; O’Connor et al., 1994). Employing fMRI of a simulated gambling task, Acheson et al. (2009) found that subjects with a family history of alcoholism had significantly greater anterior cingulate and caudate head responses than FHN subjects, even though both performed equivalently. However, there was also a trend for the FHP to drink more, and overall drinking across groups was
