Alcohol activates the cerebral reward system in man

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Alcohol consumption impacts brain function.
• Understanding alcohol's effects on brain activity is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alcohol's effect on brain activity during rest and cognitive tasks.
• To identify brain regions affected by alcohol and its interaction with cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

• Regional cerebral blood flow measured using 3D-PET (15O Butanol) in 13 male volunteers.
• Subjects underwent scans in sober/rest, sober/test, inebriated/rest, and inebriated/test conditions.
• Statistical parametric mapping and a computerized brain atlas used for localization.

Main Results:

• Alcohol increased cerebral blood flow in reward system areas (temporal lobes, anterior cingulate cortex, septal region, brain stem).
• Alcohol decreased blood flow in the cerebellum and occipital cortex.
• Cognitive tasks induced distinct neocortical activation patterns unaffected by alcohol; performance remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Moderate alcohol dose (0.07%) selectively activates subcortical reward and arousal systems.
• Alcohol shows minimal impact on neocortical systems engaged in on-line cognitive activity.
• The independence of subcortical alcohol targets from neocortical cognitive mechanisms is a novel finding.