Research Snapshots: Drs. Ron Cohen and Vaughn Bryant

A study led by UF neuroscientists, Dr. Ron Cohen and Dr. Vaughn Bryant, published in Current HIV Research, demonstrated that individuals with past heavy alcohol use exhibit functional connectivity differences in the brain. Specifically, they showed decreased connectivity in frontoparietal networks, which play a key role in executive function, and increased connectivity to reward specific and default mode-specific regions, which can increase risky behaviors. The presence of HIV also related to greater frontoparietal dysfunction.

Connectivity analyses were conducted using data from 50 adults, 26 of whom were HIV positive, who engaged in an n-back working memory task.

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