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PubMed1995

Family history of alcoholism and the mediation of alcohol intake by catalase: further evidence for catalase as a marker of the propensity to ingest alcohol.

Earlier studies have suggested that catalase activity (CA) may represent a biological marker of alcohol intake in animals and in humans. An initial study was designed to rule out the possibility that CA is induced as a function of acute alcohol intake. Subjects (n = 80) were presented with either an alcohol (0.5 g/kg of body weight) or control solution, and asked to provide four 100-microliters blood samples at 0.0, 0.5, 2.0, and 24.0 hr. Results showed no differences in CA between individuals who had received alcohol, and controls, even when the effects of previous drinking history were covaried out. This lack of effect of acute alcohol intake on the possible induction of CA further supported the notion that CA may be a viable marker of alcohol intake, rather than the converse. In the second study, the relation between CA and alcohol intake was investigated in individuals with a family history (FH) of alcoholism (FH+), and in those without a family history of alcoholism (FH-). Subjects (n = 607) completed the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Questionnaire, the MacAndrew Scale, and the Concordia University Alcohol Screening Questionnaire; answered questions concerning their FH for alcoholism; and provided a 100-microliters blood sample. Results showed that FH+ individuals had higher mean CA compared with FH- individuals. When individuals with FH+ were compared with those with FH-, differences in the pattern of relation between CA and alcohol intake were observed. Although a significant relation between CA and alcohol intake was obtained for both FH- and FH+ individuals, this relation was significantly higher (p < 0.001) for individuals with FH+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Immunohistochemical localization of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the stomach before and after abstinence of alcohol in alcoholics--using confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Previous studies have reported some significant participation by gastric alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in alcohol metabolism, similar to that by hepatic ADH. However, the localization of this ADH in the stomach is not yet determined and there has been no study on the localization of ADH in the stomach of alcoholics before and after abstinence from alcohol. The aim of the present study was to reveal any changes between before and after abstinence from alcohol in the immunohistochemical localization of ADH using biopsy specimens from the gastric mucosa. Twenty male alcoholics (aged 47.8 +/- 7.4 yrs) gave signed informed consent for this investigation. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) and gastric corpus biopsy were performed just before abstinence and at one month later. ADH in the biopsy specimens was immunohistochemically examined with an anti-ADH antibody, using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The fluorescence intensity for ADH was compared for each pair of specimens before and after abstinence from alcohol using an image analyzer. Age, total alcohol consumption, degree of gastritis, and the liver function tests of all patients were also analyzed. The strongly immuno-positive cells for ADH in the gastric mucosa were identified as parietal cells. The fluorescence intensity for ADH was significantly higher in those specimens obtained after abstinence than in those before abstinence (p < 0.005). The immunoreactibility for ADH in the cells assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy was greatly improved after abstinence of alcohol, suggesting recovered alcohol metabolism in the gastric mucosa after abstinence from alcohol. The present study, demonstrating the cellular ADH localization in the gastric mucosa before and after abstinence from alcohol, may contribute to clarifying gastric alcohol metabolism in alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Alcohol Control Policies, Alcohol Consumption, and Alcoholism.

This study evaluates the implications of two alcoholism prevention models. The single distribution (log-normal) model posits that the average level of consumption in a society is sufficient to account for the rate of alcoholism; the sociocultural model suggests that variables other than consumption account for alcoholism. Factor analysis and multiple regression were used to assess interstate differences in average alcohol consumption and alcoholism rates. Consumption, controlling for alcoholism rate, was found not wholly to be an economic phenomenon but rather was predicted by urban conditions (a factor measuring unintegrated foreign-born and minority groups and external social control) and two alcohol availability factors. Alcoholism rate was predicted by urban conditions and a social isolation factor, isolated females. Consumption was not a significant predictor of alcoholism in this multivariable analysis. It was concluded that it is an oversimplification to view alcoholism merely as an extension of heavy drinking. Availability is not a unitary dimension and appears, furthermore, to have little potential utility in controlling consumption of alcoholism. Neither of the two availability factors was related to alcoholism; bootlegging appears to be a compensatory mechanism for offsetting low legal availability. The results imply that alcohol control policies and alcoholism prevention need to be directed toward alleviating anomie and social isolation. A variety of efforts toward these ends are suggested: senior citizens programs, minority employment programs, English enhancement training for the foreign-born, etc.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2000

A comparison of the reinforcing efficacy of alcohol in alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats.

A key feature of the selective breeding program that produced alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats is that the alcohol was mixed with water. However, humans typically drink sweetened or palatably flavored alcohol. The experiments in this study tested whether the differences in P and NP rats generalize to sweetened alcohol. In Experiment 1, P rats drank more alcohol than NP rats when the vehicle was water, but NP rats drank about as much alcohol as P rats (1.1 to 1.3 g/kg/30 min) when the vehicle was a saccharin solution. Experiment 2 tested whether P rats were more susceptible to the rewarding properties of sweetened alcohol than were NP rats. The criterion for reward strength was the degree to which alcohol-reinforced lever pressing persisted, despite increases in the schedule requirements for the alcohol reward. In baseline, lever presses were reinforced with sweetened alcohol and an isocaloric Polycose solution according to two, concurrent, variable-interval 5-s schedules. In subsequent conditions, the interval schedule for alcohol was increased, and then, after a return to baseline, the interval schedule for Polycose was increased. By the criterion of resistance to change, alcohol was a stronger reinforcer than was Polycose, and alcohol was a stronger reinforcer in NP rats than in P rats.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1998

Neonatal responsiveness to alcohol odor and infant alcohol intake as a function of alcohol experience during late gestation.

It has been previously suggested that maternal alcohol intoxication during the last days of pregnancy promotes fetal experiences that include chemosensory processing of the drug. In this study pregnant Wistar-derived rats were administered saline or one of two alcohol doses (1 or 2 g/kg) during gestational days 17-20. Immediately after birth, pups were tested in regard to motor-eliciting properties of the odor of amniotic fluid or alcohol, or of these stimuli presented as a configuration. Saline controls showed significantly shorter duration of overall motor activity and head movements when stimulated with the biological cue (amniotic fluid) than when exposed to a novel stimulus (ethanol alone or configured with the amniotic fluid). The opposite pattern was found in pups with prenatal experience with the higher alcohol dose. In a second experiment, the impact of similar alcohol treatments on infant consumption of different tastants, including alcohol and a configuration of sucrose and quinine, was tested. This configuration appears to mimic psychophysical properties of ethanol. Consumption of water, sucrose, or quinine was unaffected by the prenatal status of the subjects. Antenatal alcohol experience with the lower alcohol dose (1 g/kg) increased both alcohol and sucrose-quinine consumption. The 2 g/kg alcohol animals also ingested more sucrose-quinine relative to saline controls. As a whole, the results confirm the hypothesis that an intrauterine alcohol sensory memory selectively affects neonatal recognition of the alcohol's olfactory attributes and infant intake of either alcohol or solutions that share certain sensory equivalence with this psychopharmacological agent.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1999

Activation of alcohol-related associative networks by recent alcohol consumption and alcohol-related cues.

AIMS: To investigate the influence of recent alcohol consumption and alcohol-related cues on performance in a sentence generation task. DESIGN: Two experiments were carried out. In the first, the performances of light, moderate and heavy drinkers were compared. In the second, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three experimental treatments (alcohol-priming, non-alcohol priming, and control) and classified as light, moderate or heavy drinkers. The effect of experimental treatment, drinking status, gender and the interaction between these factors was studied. SETTING: The experiments were carried out in quiet research rooms in psychology departments. PARTICIPANTS: Volunteers recruited from university campuses. MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaires were used to ascertain recent drinking histories. Subjects generated sentences incorporating ambiguous alcohol-related words which were provided by the experimenter. The sentences were then classified as alcohol-related or not, the dependent measure was the number of alcohol-related sentences produced. FINDINGS: In both experiments heavier drinkers produced more alcohol-related sentences and males produced more alcohol-related sentences than females. In the second experiment more alcohol-related sentences were produced after subjects were exposed the alcohol priming condition. CONCLUSIONS: The alcohol-related meaning of ambiguous words is more likely to be accessed by males and by heavier drinkers and after exposure to other alcohol cues.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Alcohol expectancies, conduct disorder and early-onset alcoholism: negative alcohol expectancies are associated with less drinking in non-impulsive versus impulsive subjects.

AIMS: Research suggests that positive alcohol expectancies promote excessive alcohol use while negative alcohol expectancies discourage excessive alcohol use. Evidence suggests that disinhibitory characteristics, such as conduct disorder and impulsivity, are associated with a general neglect of long-term negative outcomes. This study assessed whether negative expectancies would be associated more strongly with lower levels of alcohol use for low- compared with high-impulsive individuals. DESIGN: Positive and negative alcohol expectancies, alcohol use and impulsivity were assessed in a sample of 99 young adults with alcohol dependence (AD) and conduct disorder (CD), 77 with AD and no CD and 124 controls. FINDINGS: AD/CD subjects had higher proximal (same day) and distal (next day) negative alcohol expectancies, even though they drank more alcohol, compared with AD-alone and control subjects. Distal negative expectancies were associated more strongly with lower levels of drinking for low-impulsive compared with high-impulsive subjects. Proximal negative expectancies were associated more strongly with higher alcohol consumption for high- versus low-impulsive subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Impulsivity and conduct disorder may be important factors in determining how much distal negative alcohol expectancies may discourage excessive alcohol consumption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Risk factors for alcohol misuse: examining heart rate reactivity to alcohol, alcohol sensitivity, and personality constructs.

OBJECTIVE: Heart rate reactivity to alcohol has been conceptualized as an index of alcohol-induced reward and has been associated with a sensation seeking personality profile. The goal of this study is to expand on previous findings regarding the significance of heart rate reactivity to alcohol while examining convergent lines of research on alcohol sensitivity, the rewarding effects of alcohol, and personality constructs. METHODS: Participants (N=47) were heavy drinkers who completed an intravenous alcohol challenge protocol. RESULTS: Analyses revealed a significant negative relationship between heart rate reactivity and alcohol-induced sedation and subjective intoxication. Heart rate reactivity was positively related to self-reported alcohol-induced vigor and to impulsivity and sensation seeking scores. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that individuals with heightened heart rate reactivity to alcohol appear to be more sensitive to the invigorating properties of alcohol, while being less sensitive to the sedative and unpleasant effects of alcohol intoxication. These findings have implications to the conceptualization of heart rate reactivity to alcohol as a biobehavioral marker of alcohol sensitivity.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Pathways to alcohol use among Dutch students in regular education and education for adolescents with behavioral problems: the role of parental alcohol use, general parenting practices, and alcohol-specific parenting practices.

The present study explored the role of parents' alcohol use, general parenting practices (support and behavioral control), and alcohol-specific parenting practices (alcohol-specific rule enforcement and alcohol availability at home) on adolescent alcohol use. Structural equation analyses were performed on cross-sectional data from adolescents who received special education because of behavioral problems (n=411) and from adolescents who received regular education (n=428). The main findings show that alcohol-specific parenting practices appear to be highly important in regulating adolescent alcohol use. Parental alcohol use was related to alcohol-specific rule enforcement and alcohol availability at home. Behavioral control was also related to alcohol-specific rule enforcement. Furthermore, the relationships between parental alcohol use, parenting practices, and adolescent alcohol use did not appear to differ substantially for students in special and regular education.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sweet liking and family history of alcoholism in hospitalized alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients.

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that preference for stronger sweet solutions may be associated with the genetic risk for alcoholism. Thirty-two male patients with alcohol dependence admitted for alcoholism in-patient treatment and 25 non-alcoholic control subjects were used in the study. Hedonic response to sweets was evaluated using the sweet preference test. Family history of alcoholism was evaluated using a Russian version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test modified for the assessment of the alcohol-related behaviour of the subject's biological father. Similar to our previous findings, alcoholics were far more likely to prefer the highest offered sucrose concentration (0.83 M), compared to non-alcoholic controls. Such preference was determined by two factors: positive family history of alcoholism and alcoholic status. Statistically, these factors contributed to the likelihood of preferring sweet solutions independently. Therefore, the effects of these factors may enhance each other. These findings support the hypothesis that preference for a stronger sweet solution is associated with a paternal history of alcohol dependence and may reflect a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A biochemical basis for alcoholism and alcohol-induced damage including the fetal alcohol syndrome and cirrhosis: interference with essential fatty acid and prostaglandin metabolism.

Alcohol has at least two actions on essential fatty acid (EFA) and Prostaglandin (PG) metabolism. It enhances the conversion of dihomogammalinolenic acid (DGLA) to PGE1 but it blocks the activity of the delta-6-desaturase, an enzyme necessary for replenishment of DGLA stores from dietary precursors. The acute effect of ethanol is therefore an increased production of PGE1 but chronic consumption will lead to depletion of DGLA and PGE1. Withdrawal from alcohol will lead to a precipitous fall in PGE1. PGE1 is known to have profound effects on the nervous system and behaviour. Patients with mania produce more PGE1 than normal while those with depression make less. Alcoholics may drink to maintain a normal PGE1 level, something which will require more and more ethanol as DGLA is depleted. In both animals and humans PGE1 or its precursor, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) have been shown to attenuate the acute withdrawal syndrome. PGE1 injections prevent the development of fatty liver in alcohol-treated animals. Defective EFA and PGE1 metabolism are known to lead to increased fibrosis, reproductive failure, cardiomyopathy, cardiovascular disorders, gastritis and pancreatitis and could therefore be the basis for these disorders in alcoholics. A PGE1 deficiency could also be responsible for the fetal alcohol syndrome. Three other agents are known to produce constellations of fetal defects very similar to those found in the alcohol syndrome. These other factors are dihphenylhydantoin, lithium, and a deficiency of zinc. These three factors and excessive alcohol consumption all lead to PGE1 deficiency by different routes. If this concept is correct, the key to the management of alcoholism and its medical complications lies in the provision of GLA or DGLA, fatty acids which by-pass the alcohol blocked step and which are unfortunately unlikely to be present in any normal diet. Unlike many concepts of alcoholism and alcohol damage, the EFA/PGE1 idea is very readily testable and already has considerable experimental support.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗
PubMed1999

Effects of naltrexone and fluoxetine on alcohol self-administration and reinstatement of alcohol seeking induced by priming injections of alcohol and exposure to stress.

We have recently shown that priming injections of alcohol and footshock stress reinstate alcohol seeking in drug-free rats. Here we tested whether naltrexone and fluoxetine, two drugs used in the treatment of alcohol dependence, would affect reinstatement of alcohol seeking induced by these events. We also determined the effects of these drugs on alcohol self-administration during the maintenance phase. Rats were trained to press a lever for a 12% w/v alcohol solution. After stable drug-taking behavior was obtained, lever pressing for alcohol was extinguished. Reinstatement of drug seeking was then determined after priming injections of alcohol (0.24-0.96 g/kg) or exposure to intermittent footshock (5 and 15 min). Rats were pretreated with naltrexone (0.2-0.4 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (2.5-5 mg/kg) during maintenance or during tests for reinstatement. Both naltrexone and fluoxetine decreased lever presses for alcohol during the maintenance phase. Naltrexone blocked alcohol-induced, but not stress-induced reinstatement. In contrast, fluoxetine blocked stress-induced reinstatement, while its effect on alcohol-induced reinstatement was less consistent. The implications of these data to the understanding of relapse to alcohol are discussed.

Alcohol Deterrents↗
PubMed1996

Alcohol reactions in subjects of European descent: effects on alcohol use and on physical and psychomotor responses to alcohol.

Self-reports of reactions to small amounts of alcohol, obtained between 1990 and 1992, were compared with reports of alcohol use, obtained in 1990-1992 and also in 1979-1981, in twin subjects of European descent. Data on subjective, physiological, psychomotor, and metabolic responses to a test dose of alcohol, taken in 1979-1981, were also available. Alcohol reactions were more common in women than in men, and were associated with less alcohol use, both at the time that information about reactions was obtained and as recorded on average 12 years previously, in both sexes. Physiological and psychomotor responses to alcohol were similar across the reaction groups, except that deterioration in standing steadiness was greater in those who subsequently reported adverse reactions to alcohol. Contrary to expectation, skin temperature changes after alcohol were less in the subjects who reported always reacting to alcohol than in the other groups. Subjective reports of intoxication were greatest in subjects who subsequently reported alcohol reactions. The pattern of twin pair concordance for reactions suggests low heritability, so alcohol reactions in subjects of European descent are not caused by a single gene of high penetrance of the type found in the Asian alcohol flush reaction.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Locomotor activity and alcohol preference in alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats following neonatal alcohol exposure.

Recently, we reported that the alcohol preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats, bred for differences in alcohol preference, showed different behavioral effects of neonatal alcohol exposure when tested as juveniles. Following neonatal alcohol exposure, the P line showed a greater increase in activity than the NP line relative to their respective controls. In the present study, P and NP rat pups were separated from their mothers and artificially reared from postnatal day (PND) 4 until PND 12. Pups were implanted with intragastric cannulas on PND 4 and fed a stock milk solution every 2 h via an indwelling cannula. One group had alcohol added to the milk diet during the 4 daytime feeds at a dose of 6 g/kg/day on PND 4-7 and a dose of 3 g/kg/day on PNDs 8 and 9. One control group was artificially reared and fed an isocaloric milk solution and a second control group was reared normally with a surrogate dam. Rats were tested as adults (80-day-old) for open-field activity and alcohol preference. Neonatal alcohol exposure caused equivalent increases in activity in P and NP rats. In the ethanol preference test, neither the P nor the NP rats showed any effect of neonatal alcohol treatment although there were large line difference in alcohol preference. These data suggest that the increased susceptibility of young P rats to neonatal alcohol exposure, measured by open-field activity, does not extend to adulthood. Furthermore, neonatal alcohol exposure does not appear to alter alcohol preference in either line.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1997

The accuracy of the CAGE, the Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in screening trauma center patients for alcoholism.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of questionnaire screening instruments to identify lifetime alcohol dependence among trauma center patients. METHODS: The study was conducted at a Level I trauma center between September 1994 and November 1996. Patients meeting eligibility requirements (> or = 18 years old, admission from injury scene, > or = 2 days of hospitalization, intact cognition) were evaluated for alcohol abuse and dependence. Screening instruments consisted of the CAGE, the Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Screening results were compared with lifetime alcohol dependence diagnoses made using the in-depth Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders section of the Structured Clinical Interview. Accuracy was quantified as sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive values, and receiver operating characteristic curves (used to calculate area under the curve). RESULTS: Of the 1,118 patients studied, lifetime alcohol dependence was diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview in 397 (35.5%), and abuse was diagnosed in 90 (8.1%) others. The CAGE was the best predictor of lifetime alcohol dependence, i.e., had the largest area under the curve (93%) and the highest sensitivity (84%), specificity (90%), positive predictive value (82%), and negative predictive value (91%). Among patients testing positive for alcohol, 63% had a lifetime alcohol dependence diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The CAGE is an efficient screening test to detect alcohol dependence in trauma center populations. It should be used in combination with alcohol testing to identify patients at risk of alcohol use problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Reports of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual respondents: results from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey.

OBJECTIVE: Few population-based studies have explored differences in alcohol consumption by sexual orientation. This study examined the prevalence of abstinence, drinking, heavier drinking, alcohol-related problems, alcohol dependence and help-seeking among homosexual and bisexual women and men compared with heterosexuals. METHOD: Data are from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey, a national population-based survey of adults (N = 7,612), a Random Digit Dialing telephone survey of all 50 states of the United States and Washington, DC. Four categories of sexual orientation were created using questions on both sexual orientation self-identification and behavior: homosexual identified, bisexual identified, heterosexual identified with same sex partners and exclusively heterosexual. Five alcohol measures (past year) were used in the analyses: (1) mean number of drinks, (2) days consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion, (3) drunkenness, (4) negative social consequences (2 or more) and (5) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, alcohol dependence. A lifetime measure of help-seeking for an alcohol problem was also analyzed. RESULTS: Few significant differences were found among men by sexual orientation. By contrast, both lesbians and bisexual women had lower abstention rates and significantly greater odds of reporting alcohol-related social consequences, alcohol dependence and past help-seeking for an alcohol problem. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that alcohol dependence and alcohol-related consequences differ by sexual orientation, particularly among women. These findings also emphasize the need for the inclusion of sexual-orientation items in population-based surveys so that prevalence rates within these subgroups can be effectively monitored.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

[Alcoholism and aging. 2. Alcoholic dementia or alcoholic cognitive impairment?].

Chronic alcohol consumption results in considerable damage to many of the body's organs, and particularly to the brain. Beyond the confusional state occurring with acute intoxication or withdrawal, alcohol abuse is responsible of a constellation of neuropsychiatric syndromes including cognitive dysfunction, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, alcoholic cerebellar degeneration, Marchiafava-Bignami disease and alcohol-related dementia, ARD. ARD would account for nearly 20% of all admissions to state mental hospitals in the United-States. According to the DSM-IV, ARD is defined by a dementia associated with alcohol abuse. However, the concept of a dementia directly related to the neurotoxicity of alcohol for brain neurons is still a matter of debate. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of cognitive deficits related to chronic alcohol intoxication. This paper presents the epidemiological, neuropathological, neurochemical and clinical data on ARD. Alcoholism is responsible for cognitive deficits of various severity, which could be reversible or not with alcohol abstinence, but can also participate to the cognitive impairment related to other pathologies, such as Alzheimer disease. On account of this review, it is suggested that the term alcohol-related cognitive impairment should be more convenient than that of ARD, more restrictive and more confusing. Presently, there are no established treatment for alcohol-related cognitive impairment. Alcohol abstinence is a most important step. Psychosocial interventions are essential to support the patients in the daily life.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Neurofunctional effects of developmental alcohol exposure in alcohol-preferring and alcohol-nonpreferring rats.

The neurofunctional effects of developmental alcohol exposure (3% v/v solution from day 15 of gestation to day 7 after parturition) have been investigated in Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rat lines, selectively bred for opposite alcohol preference and consumption. Alcohol exposure significantly decreased the rate of ultrasonic emission in sP male pups; whereas, it did not affect this indicator of emotional reactivity in sNP animals. Perinatal alcohol intake did not influence either learning of an active avoidance task or hippocampal long-term potentiation in both offspring lines. Significant differences in time spent exploring novel objects were observed between control sP and sNP rats subjected to the novel exploration object test. Alcohol exposed sP rats, but not alcohol exposed sNP rats, apparently lost the capacity to discriminate between the novel and the familiar object, even though this difference is difficult to interpret because of the large differences in the respective responses to the novel objects. Neurochemical experiments have shown that basal levels of dopamine (DA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were significantly higher in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) of sP rats with respect to sNP animals. Perinatal alcohol did not affect basal DA and HVA concentrations or amphetamine-induced DA increase and HVA decrease in the NAC of either sP or sNP offspring. These results suggest that subtle behavioral alterations induced by developmental exposure to low doses of alcohol, which do not cause malformations and/or overt neurotoxicity, may be associated with genetic factors, although not necessarily those responsible for differences in alcohol preference.

Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System↗