Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Substantial research implicates alcohol misuse as a risk factor for traumatic brain injury (TBI), but less is known about the inverse relationship - how TBI increases risk of alcohol misuse. It has been theorized that impairments in executive functioning following TBI, such as decreased impulse control and greater risky decision making, may contribute to alcohol misuse post-injury. Acute administration of alcohol has also been shown to decrease impulse control, which predicted greater laboratory alcohol consumption. Therefore, it is hypothesized that baseline executive dysfunction may make individuals with TBI more vulnerable to alcohol-induced impulsive behaviour, which could contribute to impaired control over drinking. The proposed study will investigate the relationship between impairments in decision making and impulse control and acute alcohol administration among individuals with and without a history of TBI. It is hypothesized that individuals with TBI will have decreased impulse control and increased risky decision making, both at baseline and following an acute dose of alcohol, compared to healthy controls. These alcohol-induced impairments in decision making and impulse control will predict greater difficulties limiting their drinking during a subsequent self-administration procedure. Findings will provide critical information to develop drinking guidelines for the TBI population and gain an understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms associated with alcohol misuse post-injury. This work will contribute greatly to the Canadian research ecosystem and foster impacts beyond the research environment, directly reaching individuals in the healthcare system.