The skin-flushing response: autonomic, self-report, and conditioned responses to repeated administrations of alcohol in Asian men.
This study examined the skin-flushing response in Asian men, which is a low-risk factor for alcoholism. Asian men who did and did not flush to alcohol consumed 0.5 g/kg ethanol during three sessions with alcohol, and placebo in a fourth session. The results indicated that: (a) Asian men who flushed to alcohol showed pronounced cardiovascular changes that did not exhibit differential tolerance over 3 sessions, (b) there were surprisingly few self-reported mood differences in response to alcohol between those who did and did not flush, and (c) finger-pulse amplitude decreased and self-ratings of "boastful" increased significantly in response to placebo challenge in those men who did not flush. These results raise questions about the psychological mechanisms by which the skin-flushing response inhibits the development and expression of alcoholism.
Newlin
D B
DB
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005483:Flushing / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014481:United States
D000431:Ethanol