Binge drinking leads to brain damage. However, at present few studies have taken into account the continuity in the binge
drinking phenomenon, and treated binge drinking as a clearly separable category from other types of drinking patterns. The
aim of the present study was to investigate whether severity of binge drinking can predict specific neurocognitive changes in
healthy young adults. A total of 121 students aged 18 to 25 were assessed by means of the three last questions of the Alcohol
Use Questionnaire combined into binge score. The binge score was entered as a predictor of cognitive performance of the
CANTAB Stop Signal Task including reaction time, inhibition processing time, and response adjustment. Anxiety and
depression symptoms were also measured. Binge score significantly predicted less adjustment following failures, and faster
reaction times. Binge score did not predict inhibition performance. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were not significantly
related to binge score. Binge drinking in healthy young adults predicts impairment in response adjustment and fast reaction
time, but is unrelated to inhibition. The study supports the view that binge drinking is a continuous phenomenon, rather than
discrete category, and the findings are possibly shedding light on why binge drinkers continue their drinking pattern despite
negative consequences.