Family history of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is one of the most important risk factors for AUD development. However, little is known about differences in brain structure and functional networks in individuals with a family history of AUD. The present project aims to identify associations between family history status and brain structure and functional connectivity. Toward this aim, we utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study and identified 524 Family History Positive (FHP) and 524 Family History Negative (FHN) children who were substance naïve with minimal prenatal drug exposure. FHP and FHN individuals were also compared on psychiatric problems and cognitive performance. Lastly, machine learning models were tested to examine if family history status can be predicted from brain imaging and non-imaging data. 

 The results revealed no significant group differences on cognitive performance, brain morphology, and resting state functional connectivity. Groups did differ on socioeconomic status such that  FHP individuals reported lower household income and parental education. In addition, compared to FHN children, FHP children showed higher psychiatric problems such as externalizing (aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors) and internalizing problems (mood problems and somatic complaint). Results from machine learning models were consistent with these findings. Specifically, family history status cannot be predicted from imaging data, but can be predicted from non-imaging data, which showed some significant group differences.

 These results suggested that extant reports on significant cognitive and neural alterations in FHP youths may likely represent the effects of substance use or substance exposure in utero. Controlling for offspring’s substance use and prenatal substance exposure, the effects of family history of AUD on cognition and brain structure and functional connectivity in children (if exist) are very small and might not be detectable with a sample size less than 1000. Future research is needed to determine when cognitive deficits and neural alterations start to emerge and become more robust in FHP individuals.