{
  "abstract": "Background: Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigms assess how environmental cues influence instrumental behaviour. Our previous research linked PIT to alcohol use disorder (AUD) and high-risk drinking using monetary rewards during learning. To better capture alcohol-related cue effects, we developed a PIT paradigm delivering trial-by-trial alcohol and juice rewards alongside monetary rewards, to examine alcohol-specific and general PIT effects in parallel. Methods: Seventy-five participants with AUD and ninety-five controls completed the task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Alcohol-specific PIT was defined as increased alcohol choices during presentation of alcohol-associated versus juice-associated cues. General PIT was defined as increased response vigor during gain- versus loss-associated cues. Behavioural and neural associations with AUD status and AUDIT scores from baseline through one-year follow-up were examined. Results: Participants with AUD showed stronger alcohol-specific PIT effect than controls. Alcohol-specific PIT was positively associated with baseline AUDIT scores and with AUDIT scores across the one-year follow-up. Alcohol cues elicited stronger anterior insula responses, and region-of-interest analysis showed greater left amygdala responses to alcohol versus juice cues in AUD compared with controls. In contrast, general PIT showed a negative association with AUDIT but no association with AUD status. In the general PIT, no AUD-related neural differences were observed. Conclusions: These findings suggest that alcohol-specific PIT captures a clinically meaningful mechanism of cue-driven alcohol seeking that is distinct from generalized motivational transfer, supporting its potential utility as a mechanistic marker in AUD.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "H. Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Baeuchl"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Thill"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. J. Belanger"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Marxen"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Krasniqi"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Garbusow"
    },
    {
      "name": "E. Friedel"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Pilhatsch"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Heinz"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. N. Smolka"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3cb01xc227wpr.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.01.747514",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.747514v1.full",
  "id": "3cb01xc227wpr",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.747514v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2713|Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7211908037",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.747514v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3cb01xc227wpr.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:47Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.01.747514",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.747514v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Enhanced Alcohol-Specific but not General Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer in Alcohol Use Disorder",
  "title_text": "Enhanced Alcohol-Specific but not General Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer in Alcohol Use Disorder",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3cb01xc227wpr",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}