Brain scans reveal why bipolar patients are at higher risk for alcohol problems

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria for all participants: * between 21 and 26 years of age * having consumed at least 4 (men) or 3 (women) drinks on a single occasion over the last year * euthymic at the time of study Inclusion criteria for bipolar disorder participants: \- Meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 Research Version (DSM-V-RV) diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, confirmed by structured interview Exclusion Criteria: For all subjects exclusion criteria include: * history of significant medical illness, particularly if possible changes in cerebral tissue * neurologic abnormality including significant head trauma (loss of consciousness of ≥5-min) * full Scale intelligence quotient (IQ) \<85 * contraindication to MRI scanning * positive pregnancy test * current cannabis use disorder\>moderate * history of severe AUDs * scores \> 15 on the alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT; part of phone screen) * ever being in an abstinence-oriented treatment program for alcohol use * reporting wanting to quit drinking but not being able to * any medical, religious, or other reasons for not drinking alcohol * history of heart attack, heart trouble, high blood pressure, diabetes, or liver disease * an adverse reaction to alcoholic beverages * reporting never consuming 4 (men) or 3 (women) or more drinks on a single occasion over the last year * unwillingness to have a friend or family member drive them home after the alcohol administration sessions * a past year substance use disorder (other than alcohol, cannabis, or nicotine) Additional exclusion criteria for bipolar disorder participants: \- not taking medications for greater than or equal to 4 weeks (i.e. participants must be stable on medications) Additional exclusion criteria for healthy comparison subjects also include: * any prior psychiatric hospitalizations * lifetime history of a neurodevelopmental disorder, affective disorder, psychotic disorder, eating disorder * greater than 1 month of lifetime psychotropic medication. -