Regional cerebral blood flow changes associated with ethanol intoxication.

Abstract

SEVERAL INVESTIGATORS have reported an association between alcohol abuse and cerebrovascular disease.1 "* Neuropsychiatric complications of chronic, excessive consumption of ethyl alcohol are often associated with significant reductions in cerebral blood flow (CBF).9 -" Reduction in cerebral blood flow is seen following acute ethanol withdrawal with normalization in a few days. 12Studies on the acute effect of ethanol on CBF have produced conflicting results. Most animal studies indicate a vasoconstrictive effect. -16 Sutherland and associates' 7 measured CBF and cerebral metabolism via the nitrous oxide technique, before and twenty minutes after the oral administration of 1 g of alcohol per kg body weight in eleven males with a history of problem drinking. Alcohol ingestion was not associated with any changes in CBF or the metabolic rates of oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide production. Hine and associates 18 studied ten males who had been drinking periodically or chronically for 10-25 years. CBF was measured with the nitrous oxide technique before and twenty minutes after the oral administration of .5 ml of 90 proof whiskey per kg body weight. Post ethanol CBF values showed statistically significant decrease. However, the authors stated that the CBF decrease was very modest and inconsistent in spite of the statistical significance. There were no changes in cerebral metabolic rates for oxygen. Battey and associates 19 examined the effect of intravenous infusions of 5-10 percent solutions of ethyl alcohol (average quantity -22 cc) in 15 patients convalescing from a variety of medical illnesses. CBF measurements were performed with the nitrous oxide inhalation technique before and during the infusions. CBF was also measured in a second group of subjects who were brought to the hospital emergency room with severe alcoholic intoxication, 1-2 hours after admission and 15-62 hours later, when they were sober. Low concentrations of blood alcohol (.068 mg/percent) did not produce significant changes in either cerebral blood flow or oxygen consumption. However, during severe alcohol intoxication with high

Alcohol Reduces Prefrontal Cortical Excitability in Humans: A Combined TMS and EEG Study

“…Investigators have found decreased rCBF in cerebellum and increased rCBF in the parietal and prefrontal cortex (Volkow et al, 1990), increased rCBF in the frontal cortex only (Matthew and Wilson, 1986), increased rCBF in the right prefrontal cortex (Tiihonen et al, 1994), and increased rCBF in all gray matter areas except the left anterior cortical areas (Newlin et al, 1982). Decreased CMRglu was found in frontal cortices (De Wit et al, 1990).…”

Ethanol Reduces rCFB Activation of Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex during a Verbal Fluency Task

“…Several investigations of normal, healthy subjects have revealed that moderate ethanol inebriation is followed by a global increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) during rest (Mathew & Wilson, 1986;Newlin, Golden, Quaife, & Graber, 1982;Sano et al, 1993). Most likely this is caused by a global vasodilatatory effect of ethanol (Greenberg et al, 1993).…”

Brain Imaging Functional Consequences of Ethanol in the Central Nervous System

“…The administration of low doses of alcohol to human subjects, doses that produce mild levels of intoxication (0.5-1.0 g/kg), increased cerebral blood flow in specific regions. 12,13,[36][37][38][39] The prefrontal and temporal cortices were frequently activated in this low dose range. 12,13,83 The frontal cortex appears to be most sensitive.…”