title: Functional biomarkers for the acute effects of alcohol on the central nervous system in healthy volunteers.
abstract: The central nervous system (CNS) effects of acute alcohol administration have been frequently assessed. Such studies often use a wide range of methods to study each of these effects. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of these tests has not completely been ascertained. A literature search was performed to recognize the most useful tests (or biomarkers) for identifying the acute CNS effects of alcohol in healthy volunteers. All tests were grouped in clusters and functional domains. Afterwards, the effect of alcohol administration on these tests was scored as improvement, impairment or as no effect. Furthermore, dose-response relationships were established. A total number of 218 studies, describing 342 different tests (or test variants) were evaluated. Alcohol affected a wide range of CNS domains. Divided attention, focused attention, visuo-motor control and scales of feeling high and of subjective drug effects were identified as the most sensitive functional biomarkers for the acute CNS effects of alcohol. The large number of CNS tests that are used to determine the effects of alcohol interferes with the identification of the most sensitive ones and of drug-response relationships. Our results may be helpful in selecting rational biomarkers for studies investigating the acute CNS effects of alcohol or for future alcohol- interaction studies.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Drug Research, Zernikedreef 10, 2333 CL Leiden, the Netherlands. rzoethout@chdr.nl
authors.forename: Remco W M
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Zoethout
authors.forename: Wilson L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Annelies E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ippel
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahan
authors.forename: Joop M A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Gerven
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol