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Low doses of alcohol substantially decrease glucose metabolism in the human brain.

Nora D Volkow1, Gene-Jack Wang, Dinko Franceschi

  • 1National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6001 Executive Blvd., Room 5274, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. nvolkow@nida.nih.gov

Neuroimage
|August 9, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Low doses of alcohol significantly decrease human brain glucose metabolism, affecting different brain regions based on dosage. Cognitive performance remained unaffected, suggesting alternative energy substrates may be utilized.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Moderate alcohol consumption is known to decrease brain glucose metabolism.
  • This metabolic decrease has been traditionally interpreted as reduced brain activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of low alcohol doses (0.25 g/kg and 0.5 g/kg) on human brain glucose metabolism.
  • To compare the regional brain metabolism changes induced by different alcohol doses.
  • To assess the impact of these alcohol doses on cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to measure brain glucose metabolism.
  • Administered placebo and two low doses of alcohol (0.25 g/kg, 0.5 g/kg) orally to 20 healthy subjects.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessed cognitive performance using a standardized battery of tests.

    • Main Results:

    • Both alcohol doses significantly decreased whole-brain glucose metabolism (10% for 0.25 g/kg, 23% for 0.5 g/kg).
    • The 0.25 g/kg dose primarily reduced metabolism in cortical regions.
    • The 0.5 g/kg dose affected both cortical and subcortical regions (cerebellum, mesencephalon, basal ganglia, thalamus).
    • No significant changes in cognitive performance were observed at these alcohol doses.

    Conclusions:

    • Low to moderate alcohol doses induce significant, dose-dependent reductions in human brain glucose metabolism.
    • Observed metabolic changes did not correlate with cognitive impairment, suggesting potential shifts in brain energy substrate utilization.
    • Blood-borne acetate may serve as an alternative energy substrate for the brain during alcohol intoxication.