Impulsivity and Attentional Bias in Cocaine Dependence: Does Familial Substance Misuse Contribute to Neurobehavioral Performance?

The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between family history of alcohol and illicit drug abuse and impulsivity in cocaine users and healthy controls. One hundred and thirty-five individuals recruited for a larger study (58 cocaine users and 77 healthy controls) with and without family history of substance misuse participated in the study. Individuals completed a computer-administered interview regarding family history of substance misuse and neurobehavioral measures of impulsivity and attentional bias. Family history of substance misuse was found to be associated with greater attentional bias to cocaine-related stimuli, regardless of personal drug use status (cocaine user versus healthy control). These findings suggest that drug cues may be more salient to first degree relatives of substance users. However, the nature of this relationship to genetic and/or environmental factors is unknown.