Emotion Recognition Biases in Alcohol Use Disorder

• DOI: 10.1111/acer.13802
• Publication Date: 2018-07-05T14:13:35Z
• Authors: Clara R. Freeman; Corinde E. Wiers; Matthew E. Sloan; Amna Zehra; Veronica Ramirez; Gene‐Jack Wang; Nora D. Volkow
• Keywords: Disgust; Sadness; Alcohol use disorder; Emotional expression

Background Alcohol use disorder ( AUD ) has been associated with impairments in cognitive and emotional function, including difficulty identifying facial expressions. However, it is unclear whether these deficits are alcohol consumption or related anxious depressive symptoms. Methods We compared the recognition of faces expressing happiness, surprise, sadness, fear, anger, disgust 19 participants healthy volunteers using Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery Emotion Recognition Task. analyzed group differences response latency, accuracy, misidentification patterns (as defined by tendency to mislabel expressions as exhibiting specific emotions). To assess were drinking severity, we also examined associations over past 90 days. Results There no latency accuracy between groups. there patterns. While controls tended misidentify happy, those angry disgusted. In participants, degree which individuals biased toward anger was positively correlated number drinks they consumed days but not depression anxiety scores. Conclusions Our findings suggest that have a bias misidentifying hostile, mediated mood changes. This provides further evidence disrupted social cognition .