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Originally published in Science Express on 7 November 2002
Science 13 December 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5601, pp. 2209 - 2211
DOI: 10.1126/science.1076929
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Reports

Alcohol Consumption Impairs Detection of Performance Errors in Mediofrontal Cortex

K. Richard Ridderinkhof,12* Yolande de Vlugt,1 Aldo Bramlage,1 Marcus Spaan,1 Martin Elton,1 Jan Snel,1 Guido P. H. Band2

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a critical component of the human mediofrontal neural circuit that monitors ongoing processing in the cognitive system for signs of erroneous outcomes. Here, we show that the consumption of alcohol in moderate doses induces a significant deterioration of the ability to detect the activation of erroneous responses as reflected in the amplitude of brain electrical activity associated with the ACC. This impairment was accompanied by failures to instigate performance adjustments after these errors. These findings offer insights into how the effects of alcohol on mediofrontal brain function may result in compromised performance.

1 Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2 Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: richard{at}psy.uva.nl

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