PROJECT SUMMARY Excessive alcohol use is a pervasive condition impacting millions of people. To alleviate this significant burden, previous research has aimed to define neural mechanisms underpinning risky drinking. A large body of literature has revealed altered brain responses in individuals with problematic alcohol use while they are presented with alcohol-related information. However, how individuals disengage from such alcohol exposure has received relatively little empirical attention. Notably, persistent processing after tasks is a hallmark of maladaptive thought processes like craving and can promote stronger memory for these experiences, which in turn may drive later motivation to drink. For instance, persisting in processing positive drinking experiences may promote alcohol craving and positive alcohol memories, thus motivating future decisions to consume alcohol. Together, this work suggests that persistent processing may play an etiological role in risky alcohol consumption and present a novel intervention target. Using a combination of secondary data analysis on functional neuroimaging (fMRI) data collected from individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), light and risky drinkers as well as a novel behavioral task, I will rigorously identify neural and cognitive markers of persistent processing and investigate their potential contributions to problematic alcohol use. This proposal builds on my prior experience in computational neuroimaging techniques and behavioral task paradigms. Additionally, this proposal will provide me with personalized trainings in advanced statistical methods, neurobiology of alcohol use, persistent or perseverative thinking in psychopathology, and experimental task designs from leading experts. In Aim 1, I will leverage an advanced brain dynamic approach to broadly examine whether individuals with AUD demonstrate an inability to disengage from salient information and express persistent processing at the neural level. In Aim 2, I will elucidate the behavioral consequences of neural persistent processing. I will focus specifically on persistent processing of alcohol-related information and examine whether persistent processing at the neural level in light and risky drinkers influence memory of alcohol events and subsequent real-life drinking. Aims 1 and 2 infer persistent processing at the neural level. To supplement this neural marker, I will introduce a novel behavioral task combining naturalistic stimuli and thought sampling (Aim 3) to develop and validate a cognitive marker of persistent processing and study whether it predicts alcohol-related memory and drinking behaviors. The successful completion of this proposal will address critical gaps in my training and prepare me well for a career in the alcohol field. By examining the ability to disengage from alcohol-related information, this proposal has the potential to refine our understandings of how risky drinking occurs, present actionable intervention tar...