Alcohol increases reaction time and errors during decision making

New research shows that certain areas in the brain associated with error processing are significantly affected by the effects of alcohol

2010-10-20

(Press-News.org) There has been an abundance of research on the effects of alcohol on the brain, but many questions regarding how alcohol impairs the built-in control systems are still unknown. A new study released in the January 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, which is currently available at Early View, explores that subject in detail and found that certain brain regions involved in error processing are affected more by alcohol than others.

According to Beth Anderson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Centre at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and lead author of the paper, this research is only the first step in a much larger process."Alcohol is widely consumed in our society today. We know it alters behavior, but surprisingly it is not well studied at the brain level. Once we understand how it is altering the brain, we can better inform the public of the consequences of drinking alcohol."

The researchers gave 38 volunteers different doses of alcohol to establish a breath alcohol concentration of zero for the control group, 0.5 per cent for moderate intoxication, or 0.1 per cent for a high level of alcohol intake. Then, once the alcohol was given enough time to cause intoxication, the volunteers participated in a Go/No-Go reaction test, where either the letters "K" or "X" were displayed on a screen with specific instructions to only press a button when an "X" was displayed.

In the experiment, there was no significant data between the control and moderate intoxication, but there were some very interesting results discovered between the control and high dose testing. After receiving the highest level of alcohol, individuals were found to have an increased reaction time, more errors and an overall decrease of successful trials.

According to Anderson, the lack of data regarding the moderate doses of alcohol was likely due to the fact that the participants were able to partially compensate for the effects of the alcohol. However, following the higher dose, individuals would have had a much more difficult time achieving that. "The increased reaction time was likely an attempt to compensate for their impairment. They may have slowed down in an attempt to keep from making more errors."

However, these results still yield more questions regarding the mystery of how alcohol impairs the control centers of the brain, and only more research will be able to help solve this complicated problem.

"We know [alcohol] alters behavior, but surprisingly, it is not well studied at the brain level," Anderson said. "Once we understand how it is altering the brain, we can better inform the public of the consequences of drinking alcohol."

### Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) is the official journal of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Co-authors of the ACER paper, "Functional Imaging of Cognitive Control during Acute Alcohol Intoxication," were Michael C. Stevens of the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center and Yale University School of Medicine, Vince D. Calhoun from the University of New Mexico and Yale University School of Medicine, and Shashwash A. Meda and Kathryn Jordan from the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, and Godfrey D. Pearlson of the Yale University School of Medicine and Olin Neuropsychiatry Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The study was funded by a grant for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Fetal alcohol exposure associated with a decrease in cognitive performance

2010-10-20

Exposure to alcohol as a fetus has been shown to cause difficulties in memory and information processing in children New findings indicate that visual perception, control of attention and demand processing may be involved in fetal alcohol-related learning problems This information could potentially be used to help children affected with such difficulties It has been known for many years that drinking alcohol while pregnant can cause serious and irreversible damage to the fetus. However, new research exploring memory deficits in children diagnosed with fetal alcohol ...

Heavy alcohol use suggests a change in normal cognitive development in adolescents

2010-10-20

Adolescence and puberty is a period of significant development in the brain New findings indicate that excessive alcohol use selectively damages the frontal lobe, which is responsible for the development of social skills and judgment This indicates that severe alcohol abuse may damage brain function, and the normal course of neural development in adolescents Alcohol, to an adolescent, is often seen as a rite of passage. Many teenagers view alcohol (as well as other drugs) as a gateway to adulthood, but are often blissfully unaware of the damage that it can cause ...

CYP2E1 gene found to be associated with alcohol response in the brain

2010-10-20

The gene CYP2E1, which is located on the terminal region of chromosome 10, plays a major role in the metabolic processing of alcohol New findings show that this gene is linked with a low sensitivity to alcohol and increased risk for alcoholism CYP2E1 could therefore be used as a predictor for those who are at risk for alcoholism The research into how alcohol reacts with the brain is a complex one, and has been relentlessly studied for many years. But a new study has shown, through linkage and association analysis on various family groups, that a gene originally ...

New vision correction options for baby boomers

2010-10-20

CHICAGO— Results of clinical research on new presbyopia treatments now available in Europe–and possibly available soon in the United States–were reported in today's Scientific Program of the 2010 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO). The AAO-MEACO meeting is the world's largest, most comprehensive ophthalmic education conference and is in session October 16 through 19 at McCormick Place, Chicago. Presbyopia is Inevitable, but Blurry Vision is Not From age 40 onward our eyes' lenses gradually ...

Cataract surgery saves lives, dollars by reducing auto crashes

2010-10-20

CHICAGO—Cataract surgery not only improves vision and quality of life for older people, but is also apparently a way to reduce the number of car crashes. The research will be presented today's at the Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) – Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting. Cataract surgery not only improves vision and quality of life for older people, but is also apparently a way to reduce the number of car crashes. The research will be presented today's at the Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy ...

Photovoltaic medicine

2010-10-20

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Oct. 19, 2010) -- Micro-scaled photovoltaic devices may one day be used to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs directly to tumors, rendering chemotherapy less toxic to surrounding tissue. "In the first step, we were able to prove the concept," says Tao Xu, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Texas in El Paso. Xu and his colleagues will present their findings today at the AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition, which takes place this week at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico. Currently, chemotherapeutic drugs are piped ...

Atomic-level manufacturing

2010-10-20

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Oct. 19, 2010) -- The long-held dream of creating atomically precise three-dimensional structures in a manufacturing environment is approaching reality, according to the top scientist at a company making tools aimed at that ambitious goal. John Randall, Vice President of Zyvex Labs in Richardson, Tex., says his researchers have demonstrated a process that uses a scanning tunneling microscope tip to remove protective surface hydrogen atoms from silicon one at a time and then adds single atomic layers of silicon only to those meticulously cleared areas. ...

Nanotube thermopower

2010-10-20

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Oct. 19, 2010) -- When weighing options for energy storage, different factors can be important, such as energy density or power density, depending on the circumstances. Generally batteries -- which store energy by separating chemicals -- are better for delivering lots of energy, while capacitors -- which store energy by separating electrical charges -- are better for delivering lots of power (energy per time). It would be nice, of course, to have both. Today at the AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition, which takes place this week at the Albuquerque ...

Batteries smaller than a grain of salt

2010-10-20

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Oct. 19, 2010) -- Lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous in today's consumer electronics -- powering our laptops, phones, and iPods. Research funded by DARPA is pushing the limits of this technology and trying to create some of the tiniest batteries on Earth, the largest of which would be no bigger than a grain of sand. These tiny energy storage devices could one day be used to power the electronics and mechanical components of tiny micro- to nano-scale devices. Jane Chang, an engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles, is designing ...

Sterilizing with fluorescent lights

2010-10-20

WASHINGTON, D.C., (Oct. 19, 2010) -- The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is well known, causing an estimated 19,000 deaths and $3-4 billion in healthcare costs per year in the U.S. What is less well known is that this increased infection and resistance rate has not been met with a simultaneous development of novel antimicrobial and antibiotic agents; in fact, only three classes of antibiotics have been developed since the 1950s. To address this need, scientists at the University of New Mexico are working on a new type of antimicrobial ...