Abstract
The high levels of alcohol consumption characteristic of adolescence may be in part biologically based, given that elevated consumption levels are evident during this developmental transition in other mammalian species as well. Studies conducted using a simple animal model of adolescence in the rat have shown adolescents to be more sensitive than adults to social facilitatory and rewarding effects of alcohol but less sensitive to numerous alcohol effects that may serve as cues to limit intake. These age-specific alcohol sensitivities appear related to differential rates of development of neural systems underlying different alcohol effects, as well as to an ontogenetic decline in rapid brain compensations to alcohol, termed acute tolerance. In contrast, these adolescent-typical sensitivities to alcohol do not appear to be notably influenced by pubertal increases in gonadal hormones. Although data are sparse, there are hints that similar alcohol sensitivities may be seen in human adolescents, with this developmentally decreased sensitivity to alcohol’s intoxicating effects possibly exacerbated by genetic vulnerabilities also characterized by an insensitivity to alcohol intoxication, thereby perhaps permitting especially high levels of alcohol consumption among vulnerable youths.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
