The observed correlations among FC, neuropsychological performance, and impulsivity measures may indicate reciprocal interactions across these domains (Figure 6). It is interesting to note that increased impulsivity and poor neuropsychological performance were also associated with altered FC in AUD (e.g., hyper-connectivity was associated with increased impulsivity, and FC connections that had positive correlations with visual memory scores also showed hypoconnectivity in AUD), thus linking all three domains with AUD status as well. Although previous studies have separately shown that AUD was associated with altered FC [10,126], poor neuropsychological performance [3,54], and heightened impulsivity [34,57], no previous studies have incorporated all three domains in a single study, making the current study the first to examine these domains together. In our previous study on the same participants, we showed that lower volumes in frontal regions and hippocampus were associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning in AUD subjects [6], and studies are underway in our laboratory to incorporate structural and functional brain measures as well as neuropsychological and behavioral (e.g., impulsivity) in the predictive model of AUD. Future studies may also include comprehensive measures in each domain and implement predictive and path models to understand the exact nature of these associations.
