The dACC is also involved in detecting the presence of cognitive conflict, and error monitoring and detection [49, 50]. In addition to error and conflict monitoring, the dACC may be critical for the expression of conditioned fear and anxiety [51, 52]. Studies related to obsessive-compulsive disorder suggested that the dACC-mediated faulty error signals, elevated fear, and anxiety contribute to the obsessions observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder [53, 54]. Compulsivity has been identified as the central characteristic of AUD, including excessive time spent drinking, neglect of other goal-directed behaviors (such as employment and family activities), and even a failure to avoid physical self-harm, as well as subjective correlates of drinking behavior, such as craving [55–57]. Consistent with previous research [58, 59], we also found a bio-marker effect of the dACC (it is one of the brain regions that contributes the most information to the HCs and AUD classification) in categorical AUD. These findings suggest that the dysfunctional dACC-mediated faulty error signals, elevated fear, and anxiety contribute to the obsessions observed in AUD.
