In our sample of 95 FHP and 96 FHN participants, connectivity between BA6 and the rest of the sensorimotor network was weaker in FHP compared to FHN participants. Among FHP participants, a greater number of second-degree family members with AUD was associated with reduced connectivity within this region. These results are somewhat consistent with our earlier finding demonstrating that FHP participants had reduced cortical thickness in the frontal lobe in this sample.6 However, it is notable that the functional connectivity finding in the present study was in the premotor cortex, whereas cortical thickness differences were most prominent in the dorsolateral and orbitofrontal cortex. This suggests that differences in connectivity are not strongly related to cortical thickness or that lower cortical thickness in adjacent, functionally connected regions could lead to reduced connectivity within this specific region.
