title: Dose-dependent effects of intravenous alcohol administration on cerebral blood flow in young adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies involving alcohol challenge are important for identifying neural correlates of alcohol's psychopharmacological effects. However, evaluating acute alcohol effects on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal change is complicated by alcohol-related increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aimed to further characterize acute alcohol effects on CBF using intravenous alcohol administration to maximize control over brain alcohol exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty heavy-drinking young adults (M = 19.95 years old, SD = 0.76) completed alcohol and placebo imaging sessions in a within-subject, counter-balanced, placebo-controlled design. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) provided estimates of perfusion change at two target blood alcohol concentrations (40 and 80 mg%) relative to baseline and relative to a saline control infusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Voxel-wise analyses showed widespread and dose-dependent effects of alcohol on CBF increase. Region-of-interest analyses confirmed these findings, also indicating regional variation in the magnitude of perfusion change. Additional findings indicated that lower self-reported sensitivity to alcohol corresponded with reduced perfusion change during alcohol administration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides further evidence for widespread effects of acute alcohol on cerebral perfusion, also demonstrating regional, dose-dependent, and inter-individual variation. Further research is needed to evaluate implications of these effects for the design and interpretation of pharmacological fMRI studies involving alcohol challenge.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, 100 Stokes Street, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Strang
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Claus
authors.forename: Vijay A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Ramchandani
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Graff-Guerrero
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Boileau
authors.forename: Christian S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hendershot
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D010100:Oxygen
references.citation: Neuropsychopharmacology. 2012 Jan;37(2):467-77
references.pmid: 21956438
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2012 Jan;36(1):130-40
references.pmid: 22003983
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Apr;68(4):389-99
references.pmid: 21464363
references.citation: Alcohol. 2011 Dec;45(8):725-37
references.pmid: 21621371
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Jul;228(2):335-45
references.pmid: 23468100
references.citation: Stroke. 1986 Nov-Dec;17(6):1156-9
references.pmid: 3810714
references.citation: J Addict Res Ther. 2012 Feb 11;Suppl 3:
references.pmid: 23772336
references.citation: Addiction. 1997 Aug;92(8):979-88
references.pmid: 9376780
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011 Jan;35(1):156-65
references.pmid: 20958334
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 1993 Nov;54(6):750-61
references.pmid: 8271813
references.citation: Magn Reson Med. 2008 Apr;59(4):788-95
references.pmid: 18383289
references.citation: Magn Reson Imaging. 2004 Dec;22(10):1517-31
references.pmid: 15707801
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1993 Dec;17(6):1119-23
references.pmid: 8116820
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1994 Oct;151(10):1505-8
references.pmid: 8092344
references.citation: Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2013;13:315-53
references.pmid: 21792747
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 1988 May;24(2):201-9
references.pmid: 3261427
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1999 Apr;23(4):617-23
references.pmid: 10235297
references.citation: J Clin Psychiatry. 1998;59 Suppl 20:22-33;quiz 34-57
references.pmid: 9881538
references.citation: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2011 May;31(5):1321-33
references.pmid: 21245872
references.citation: Neuroradiology. 2010 Apr;52(4):307-17
references.pmid: 19841916
references.citation: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2014 Mar;34(3):472-9
references.pmid: 24398943
references.citation: Exp Brain Res. 2010 Jul;204(1):1-10
references.pmid: 20502888
references.citation: Hum Brain Mapp. 2000 Jul;10(3):120-31
references.pmid: 10912591
references.citation: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 1996 Nov;16(6):1236-49
references.pmid: 8898697
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 1998 Jun 30;82(3):135-46
references.pmid: 9754438
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2000 Jul 10;99(1):1-13
references.pmid: 10891645
references.citation: Magn Reson Med. 1991 Apr;18(2):257-68
references.pmid: 2046511
references.citation: J Magn Reson Imaging. 2011 Apr;33(4):940-9
references.pmid: 21448961
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1998 Feb;22(1):202-10
references.pmid: 9514308
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011 Jun;35(6):1034-40
references.pmid: 21332525
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2008 Apr 30;28(18):4583-91
references.pmid: 18448634
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2012 Aug 15;62(2):782-90
references.pmid: 21979382
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 1993 May;54(3):369-76
references.pmid: 8487546
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2012 Jun;36(6):1042-9
references.pmid: 22486174
references.citation: Br J Addict. 1991 Sep;86(9):1119-27
references.pmid: 1932883
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2012 Apr;220(4):787-97
references.pmid: 21993878
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006 Jan;30(1):155-64
references.pmid: 16433744
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1999 Aug;23(8):1320-30
references.pmid: 10470974
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2012 Jun;36(6):1050-7
references.pmid: 21933199
references.citation: Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Aug;16(8):809-17
references.pmid: 20479755
references.citation: Hum Brain Mapp. 1997;5(4):238-42
references.pmid: 20408222
references.citation: Hum Brain Mapp. 2012 Feb;33(2):319-33
references.pmid: 21391268
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011 Oct;35(10):1771-93
references.pmid: 21777260
references.citation: Neuropharmacology. 2014 Sep;84:101-10
references.pmid: 23978384
references.citation: Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Nov 1;76(9):698-707
references.pmid: 24560581
references.citation: J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2007 May;13(3):517-25
references.pmid: 17445301
references.citation: Int J Neurosci. 1982 Nov;17(3):145-50
references.pmid: 7169288
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Dec;230(3):487-97
references.pmid: 23812762