Alcohol Use Behavioral Phenotyping Test for Global Populations (2024-2025)

This team set out to address a critical gap in the detection of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), a global health concern that often goes untreated due to cultural, linguistic and implementation challenges in screening. To overcome these barriers, the team developed the Alcohol Use Behavioral Phenotyping Test (AUBPT), a digital tool grounded in the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework. Their study tested the feasibility of the tool across diverse cultural contexts, beginning with pilot work in Brazil and expanding to India, Tanzania, Kenya and the United States.

Over four years, the team created a proof of concept featuring three behavioral tasks—the Stop Signal Task, Delay Discounting Task and Balloon Analogue Risk Task—designed to assess inhibitory control, impulsivity and risk-taking tendencies linked to AUD. Pilot testing in Brazil demonstrated the tool’s feasibility, ease of use for patients and acceptability among healthcare providers. Through systematic translation and cultural adaptation, the team ensured semantic and contextual equivalence, reinforcing the instrument’s validity across diverse populations.

The project’s outcomes highlight the potential of AUBPT to provide a scalable, culturally sensitive alternative to traditional self-assessments, offering a more accurate way to detect harmful alcohol use worldwide. By combining rigorous research, app development and global collaborations, the team has advanced a novel tool that could strengthen early detection and intervention strategies for AUD, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where screening resources are limited. The next phase will expand validation efforts in additional international sites, positioning AUBPT as a promising step toward global, evidence-based alcohol use interventions.

Timing

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Team Outputs

Predicting Alcohol Use Disorder Through Games: Alcohol Use and Behavior Phenotyping Test (AUBPT) (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)

See earlier related team, Alcohol Use Behavioral Phenotyping Test for Global Populations (2023-2024).