TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of acute alcohol administration on working memory
T2 - a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Spinola, Suzanne
AU - De Vita, Martin J.
AU - Gilmour, Christina E.
AU - Maisto, Stephen A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Rationale: Alcohol-induced executive function deficits may underlie associations between alcohol, self-regulation, and hazardous behaviors. Studies examining the effects of alcohol administration on working memory, an important executive functioning component, have produced mixed findings. Acute alcohol effects on working memory remain unclear. Objectives: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of acute alcohol administration on working memory outcomes in studies of healthy adults. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO from inception to June 2021. Studies were included if they met criteria, including healthy participants and administration of quantified alcohol doses against comparative controls. Data extracted included primary working memory outcomes, alcohol doses, and study characteristics. Study quality was assessed using an established validity measure. Working memory task type, alcohol dose, control condition type, and sex/gender composition were explored as moderators using mixed-effects models and meta-regressions. Results: Thirty-two studies (1629 participants) provided sufficient data for 54 comparisons between alcohol and control conditions. Random-effects meta-analysis indicated that alcohol administration produced significant, small- to medium-sized working memory decrements (g [95% CI] = − 0.300 [− 0.390 to − 0.211], p < 0.001). Moderation analyses suggested that these effects differed as a function of task type, dose, control condition type, and sex/gender composition. The average quality rating across studies was good. Conclusions: Alcohol administration significantly impaired working memory performance, particularly when executive-related manipulation processes were involved. Future research is needed to investigate how alcohol-induced working memory impairments relate to compromised self-regulation, hazardous behavior, and negative drinking consequences.
AB - Rationale: Alcohol-induced executive function deficits may underlie associations between alcohol, self-regulation, and hazardous behaviors. Studies examining the effects of alcohol administration on working memory, an important executive functioning component, have produced mixed findings. Acute alcohol effects on working memory remain unclear. Objectives: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of acute alcohol administration on working memory outcomes in studies of healthy adults. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO from inception to June 2021. Studies were included if they met criteria, including healthy participants and administration of quantified alcohol doses against comparative controls. Data extracted included primary working memory outcomes, alcohol doses, and study characteristics. Study quality was assessed using an established validity measure. Working memory task type, alcohol dose, control condition type, and sex/gender composition were explored as moderators using mixed-effects models and meta-regressions. Results: Thirty-two studies (1629 participants) provided sufficient data for 54 comparisons between alcohol and control conditions. Random-effects meta-analysis indicated that alcohol administration produced significant, small- to medium-sized working memory decrements (g [95% CI] = − 0.300 [− 0.390 to − 0.211], p < 0.001). Moderation analyses suggested that these effects differed as a function of task type, dose, control condition type, and sex/gender composition. The average quality rating across studies was good. Conclusions: Alcohol administration significantly impaired working memory performance, particularly when executive-related manipulation processes were involved. Future research is needed to investigate how alcohol-induced working memory impairments relate to compromised self-regulation, hazardous behavior, and negative drinking consequences.
KW - Administration
KW - Alcohol
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Systematic review
KW - Working memory
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U2 - 10.1007/s00213-022-06060-5
DO - 10.1007/s00213-022-06060-5
M3 - Review article
C2 - 35075512
AN - SCOPUS:85123491443
SN - 0033-3158
VL - 239
SP - 695
EP - 708
JO - Psychopharmacology
JF - Psychopharmacology
IS - 3
ER -