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. 2018 Mar;32(2):197-204.
doi: 10.1037/adb0000341. Epub 2018 Jan 22.

Delay discounting of losses and rewards in alcohol use disorder: The effect of working memory load

Allen J Bailey  1 , Kyle Gerst  1 , Peter R Finn  1
Affiliations

Delay discounting of losses and rewards in alcohol use disorder: The effect of working memory load

Allen J Bailey et al. Psychol Addict Behav. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been consistently associated with elevated discounting rates for delayed rewards. However, there are few studies of delay discounting of losses in those with AUD even though their drinking behavior suggests that they discount future negative consequences of excessive drinking. The current study extends this literature by examining delay discounting of rewards and losses in a sample of those with AUD (n = 78) and healthy controls (n = 51) in 2 conditions: working memory (WM) load and no WM load. The AUD group discounted both rewards and losses at higher rates than the control group. The WM load increased discounting rates in the reward task but not in the loss task. There was also a significant Group × WM load interaction; the WM load increased discounting in control participants but not in AUD participants. These findings suggest that AUD is associated with a general propensity to discount future incentivized events regardless of nature of the incentive. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean delay discounting rates (log10 transformed k) averaged across working memory load conditions in the reward and loss discounting tasks divided by control and alcohol use disorder (AUD) groups. Error bars represent +/− SEM. * = p <. 05, ** = p <. 01.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean delay discounting rates (log10 transformed k) by working memory (WM) load condition in reward and loss discounting tasks. Error bars represent +/− SEM. *** = p <. 001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean discounting rates (log10 transformed k) broken down by reward and loss discounting tasks and working memory (WM) load condition divided by control and alcohol use disorder group (AUD). Error bars represent +/− SEM. ** = p <. 01.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Delay discounting curves. Panel A shows delay discounting of reward curves divided by group and working memory (WM) load condition. Panel B shows delay discounting of loss curves divided by group and WM load condition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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