Alcohol breaks down interhemispheric inhibition in females but not in males: alcohol and frontal connectivity.
BACKGROUND
Alcohol has renowned behavioral disinhibitory properties which are suggested to involve reductions in frontal lobe functioning as a result of diminished interhemispheric connectivity.


METHODS
To examine sex differences in frontal interhemispheric connectivity in response to alcohol, 12 female and ten male healthy volunteers received a single administration of 0.5 per thousand alcohol in a placebo-controlled counterbalanced crossover design. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to measure transcallosal inhibition (TCI) between the left and right primary motor cortex (M1).


RESULTS
Results showed significant reductions in TCI after alcohol administration in female participants exclusively.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide the first evidence that moderate doses of alcohol differentially affect frontal interhemispheric connectivity in males and females. The present data may shed new light on the physiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in the susceptibility to alcohol.
Hoppenbrouwers
Sylco S
SS
Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.s.hoppenbrouwers@uu.nl
Hofman
Dennis
D
Schutter
Dennis J L G
DJ
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000187:drug effects; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004576:Electromyography; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects*; D012737:Sex Factors; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
D000431:Ethanol