title: No difference in responsiveness to a low dose of alcohol between healthy women and men.
abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine gender-related differences in alcohol responsiveness by comparing the effect of a low-dose intravenous alcohol infusion upon saccadic eye movements, self-rated sedation and intoxication scores. The functional sensitivity to a low dose of alcohol in 12 healthy women and 12 healthy men was evaluated by comparing the effects of an intravenous alcohol infusion on a number of saccadic eye movement measures, including saccadic eye velocity (SEV), saccade latency, saccade accuracy, saccade deceleration and self-rated levels of intoxication and sedation. The infusion of a low dose of alcohol induced a decrease in SEV and increased saccade deceleration and self-rated scores of intoxication in both males and females. Saccade accuracy was also significantly deteriorated by alcohol in both groups. The alcohol infusion did not induce any main gender-related differences in the saccade or visual analogue scale measurements. According to the findings of the present study, no gender differences in the responsiveness to a low-dose alcohol infusion were found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Umeå, Umeå, S-901-85 Sweden. sigrid.nyberg@obgyn.umu.se
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nyberg
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wahlström
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bäckström
authors.forename: Inger Sundström
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Poromaa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012438:Saccades / Q000187:drug effects*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol