In summary, we showed that drinking problems as captured by the AUDIT score was associated with impaired inhibitory control indexed by the SSRT in social drinkers. This association manifested in decreased subcortical and cortical activities, which mediated the link between drinking problems and inhibitory control. On the other hand, yeas of alcohol use in social drinkers appeared to be related to decreased activities in other cerebral regions, although the confounding effect of age cannot be excluded. These findings may help elucidate the role of impaired inhibitory control in charting the trajectory of alcohol use and misuse in non-dependent drinkers.
