title: Effect of Alcohol on Encoding and Consolidation of Memory for Alcohol-Related Images.
abstract: Drug and alcohol abusers develop strong memories for drug-related stimuli. Preclinical studies suggest that such memories are a result of drug actions on reward pathways, which facilitate learning about drug-related stimuli. However, few controlled studies have investigated how drugs affect memory for drug-related stimuli in humans.
  
  
  
  The current study examined the direct effect of alcohol on memory for images of alcohol-related or neutral beverages. Participants received alcohol (0.8 g/kg) either before viewing visual images (encoding condition; n = 20) or immediately after viewing them (consolidation condition; n = 20). A third group received placebo both before and after viewing the images (control condition; n = 19). Memory retrieval was tested exactly 48 hours later, in a drug-free state.
  
  
  
  Alcohol impaired memory in the encoding condition and enhanced memory in the consolidation condition, but these effects did not differ for alcohol-related and neutral beverage stimuli. However, in the encoding condition, participants who experienced greater alcohol-induced stimulation exhibited better memory for alcohol-related, but not neutral beverage stimuli.
  
  
  
  These findings suggest that individual differences in sensitivity to the positive, rewarding effects of alcohol are associated with greater propensity to remember alcohol-related stimuli encountered while intoxicated. As such, stimulant responders may form stronger memory associations with alcohol-related stimuli, which might then influence their drinking behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weafer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology , University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Wit
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages; D001944:Breath Tests; D003463:Cues; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol Stimuli; Consolidation; Encoding; Memory; Stimulation