Childhood trauma linked to sex-specific brain response predicting alcohol craving
A multicenter fMRI study of 231 non-treatment-seeking individuals with mainly mild to moderate alcohol use disorder examined how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) relate to neural cue reactivity and daily craving by sex. Higher childhood trauma scores were associated with greater activation in the left superior frontal gyrus/anterior cingulate cortex during alcohol cues in females compared with males, and this activation predicted prospective daily craving only in females; mediation analyses showed opposing indirect effects of ACEs on craving through this brain region in females versus males. The authors state the findings suggest sex-specific neural pathways linking childhood trauma to craving vulnerability in early AUD.
Most relevant for: Individuals with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder and a history of adverse childhood experiences, particularly females.
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