When abuse primes addiction — Automatic activation of alcohol concepts by child maltreatment related cues in emotionally abused alcoholics

• Maltreatment related cues primed alcohol concepts in emotionally abused alcoholics.
• Maltreatment related cues automatically activate the associative memory network.
• Mechanisms underlying the link between AD and emotional maltreatment are clarified.

IntroductionRecent research indicates that there is a link between emotional maltreatment and alcohol dependence (AD), but the underlying mechanisms still need to be clarified. There is reason to assume that maltreatment related cues automatically activate an associative memory network comprising cues eliciting craving as well as alcohol-related responses. The current study aimed to examine this network in AD patients who experienced emotional abuse using a priming paradigm.MethodsA specific priming effect in emotionally abused AD subjects was hypothesized for maltreatment related words that preceded alcohol related words. 49 AD subjects (n = 14 with emotional abuse vs. n = 35 without emotional abuse) and 34 control subjects performed a priming task with maltreatment related and neutral prime words combined with alcohol related and neutral target words. Maltreatment related words consisted of socially and physically threatening words.ResultsAs hypothesized, a specific priming effect for socially threatening and physically threatening cues was found only in AD subjects with emotional abuse.ConclusionsThe present data are the first to provide evidence that child maltreatment related cues automatically activate an associative memory network in alcoholics with emotional abuse experiences.