Abstract
AimsEthanol is a widespread substance that inherits desired effects, but also negative consequences with regard to DUI or battery. Where required, the ethanol concentration is usually determined in peripheral venous blood samples, while the brain is the target organ of the ethanol effects. The aim of this study with three participants was the determination of the ethanol concentration in functionally relevant regions of the brain and the comparison with serum ethanol concentrations.DesignAfter the uptake of ethanol in a calculated amount, leading to a serum ethanol concentration of 0.99 g/L, the ethanol concentrations in the brain were directly analyzed by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy on a 3 Tesla human MRI system and normalized to the water content. The measurement voxels were located in the occipital cortex, the cerebellum, the frontal cortex, and the putamen and successively examined. Intermittently blood samples were taken, and serum was analyzed for ethanol using HS-GC-FID.Findings and conclusionsEthanol concentrations in brain regions normalized to the water content were lower than the measured serum ethanol results and rather homogenous within the three participants and the various regions of the brain. The maximum ethanol concentration in the brain (normalized to water content) was 0.68 g/L. It was measured in the frontal cortex, in which the highest results were gained. The maximum serum concentration was 1.19 g/L. The course of the brain ethanol curve seems to be flatter than the one of the serum ethanol concentrations.
Highlights
In many parts of the world, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is firmly established in the society
In the second measuring cycle, the highest results were again observed in the frontal cortex, while the lowest concentrations were detected in the last measurement, in the putamen (0.22-0.47 g/L)
The composition of each voxel with regard to white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was determined based on segmentation of the magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) dataset
Summary
In many parts of the world, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is firmly established in the society. According to the WHO, the highest levels of per capita alcohol consumption are observed in countries of the WHO European Region [1]. The highest rates of lifetime abstainers are reported from the WHO African, Eastern Mediterranean, and South-East Asia regions [1]. Drs h.c. Stefan Pollak on the occasion of his 70th birthday
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