title: Acute effects of alcohol on P300 in Asians with different ALDH2 genotypes.
abstract: Asian men were genotyped for alleles of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and tested on two separate occasions following oral administration of placebo and 0.75 ml/kg alcohol. Sixty minutes after beverage ingestion, event-related potentials were elicited using an auditory oddball paradigm. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that alcohol produced significant increases in P300 latency and significant decreases in P300 amplitude compared with placebo. Subjects with ALDH2*1/2*2 genotype (n = 14) demonstrated some significantly greater P300 effects after alcohol than subjects with ALDH2*1/2*1 genotype (n = 15), despite equivalent blood alcohol concentrations. These data suggest that neurocognitive functioning may be more impaired following alcohol in subjects with an ALDH2*2 allele. These findings further suggest that a genetically controlled factor (deficiency in ALDH enzyme activity) might contribute to a decreased likelihood of alcohol intake and protection from alcoholism, because of an enhanced sensitivity to alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropharmacology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wall
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ehlers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000235:genetics*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D001213:Asian / Q000235:genetics*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D002140:California; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase