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Related Experiment Videos

Abnormal CNV in chronic heavy drinkers.

Linda L Chao1, Dieter J Meyerhoff, Valerie A Cardenas

  • 1Magnetic Resonance Unit, 116R San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California-San Francisco, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. llchao@itsa.ucsf.edu

Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
|October 29, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Heavy alcohol use impairs frontal lobe function, indicated by reduced contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitudes. This electroencephalogram abnormality may signal alcohol-related brain damage and disrupted response preparation in heavy drinkers.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Alcohol research
  • Cognitive function

Background:

  • Chronic heavy alcohol consumption is associated with cognitive deficits.
  • Frontal lobe dysfunction is a common consequence of alcoholism.
  • Electrophysiological measures like contingent negative variation (CNV) can detect subtle brain changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of heavy chronic alcohol use on frontal lobe function using electroencephalogram (EEG) measures.
  • To examine the relationship between alcohol consumption, brain structure, and cognitive performance.
  • To explore electrophysiological markers of alcohol-related brain damage.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically the contingent negative variation (CNV), in 30 heavy drinkers (HD) and 30 light/non-drinkers (LD).

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  • Utilized a two-stimulus reaction time (RT) paradigm, structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological tests.
  • Assessed the correlation between CNV amplitude, alcohol consumption, frontal lobe gray matter volume, and cognitive test performance.

    • Main Results:

    • Heavy drinkers exhibited significantly reduced late CNV amplitudes compared to light drinkers.
    • Diminished CNV amplitudes in HD were linked to recent alcohol intake.
    • Reduced late CNV amplitudes in HD correlated with decreased frontal lobe gray matter volume and poorer performance on the Trail Making Test B.

    Conclusions:

    • Abnormalities in late CNV amplitude may serve as indicators of alcohol-related frontal lobe damage.
    • The lack of correlation between CNV amplitude and reaction time in HD suggests that chronic heavy alcohol use disrupts response preparation.
    • ERP measures like CNV offer valuable insights into the neurophysiological consequences of heavy alcohol consumption.