Linking fluctuations in inhibitory control and working memory to daily alcohol use: An ecological momentary assessment study

OBJECTIVE: Inhibitory control and working memory comprise core executive functions which have been implicated in hazardous alcohol consumption. Yet, there is a dearth of research examining whether daily fluctuations in these cognitive domains predict alcohol use. The current study implemented an ecological momentary assessment design to determine whether day-to-day changes in inhibitory control and working memory predict the likelihood and quantity of alcohol consumption. METHOD: = 21.48 years; female = 73 %) were prompted daily to complete Stop-Signal and n-Back tasks via the CheckCog app over 14 days. Participants also recorded their alcohol consumption using the Alcohol Capture app. RESULTS: Generalised linear mixed modelling demonstrated a significant effect of working memory on daily consumption (IRR = 0.72, 95 % CI 0.54, 0.97), with greater accuracy predicting a reduced number of standard drinks consumed. No effect of inhibitory control on daily consumption was found (IRR = 0.98, 95 % CI 0.64, 1.50). Neither inhibitory control nor working memory were found to predict the likelihood of drinking. Exploratory analyses conducted on a sub-sample of participants indicated significant effects of within-day change in inhibitory control (IRR = 2.19, 95 % CI 1.07, 4.50) and working memory (IRR = 0.56, 95 % CI 0.32, 0.96) on consumption, such that deterioration in performance predicted greater consumption. CONCLUSIONS: These results support further examination of cognitive markers as real-time predictors of alcohol use which may inform the development of just-in-time interventions targeting hazardous drinking.