Work

MRI assessment of intrinsic neural timescales in male alcohol use disorder patients

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing condition marked by compulsive drinking, imposing a significant burden on both the individual and their environment. The intrinsic neural timescale (INT) is determined through the assessment of autocorrelation of the brain activity in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, serving to elucidate the diversity of neural timescales. Method: This study involved 55 alcohol-dependent patients and 33 non-drinking healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, sex, and hand-use habits. We calculated the INT by evaluating the strength of autocorrelation in resting-state brain activity, and subsequently compared between-group differences in INT. We also analyzed the correlation between abnormal INT and clinical characteristics. Result: The AUD group exhibited significantly longer INT in the left and right thalamus when compared to the HC group. Additionally, significantly shorter INT was observed in the calcarine cortex in the AUD group in comparison to the HC group. Conclusion: Our study identified abnormalities of the brain activity at the resting state in alcohol-dependent patients by means of an INT approach, which may provide more insight into the neural mechanisms of alcohol dependence.

Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1736813