Levels Of Alcohol Intoxication Research Articles

Alcohol drinking produces brain region-selective changes in expression of inducible transcription factors

Mapping the effects of alcohol consumption on neural activity could provide valuable information on mechanisms of alcohol's effects on behavior. The present study sought to identify effects of alcohol consumption on expression of inducible transcription factors (ITFs) in mouse brain. C57BL/6J mice were trained to consume 10% ethanol/10% sucrose solution during a 30-min limited access period. Control animals were given access to 10% sucrose solution or water. Following the final day of the procedure, animals were sacrificed and immunohistochemical analyses were performed for three ITFs (c-Fos, FosB, and Zif268). Alcohol-consuming animals had increased ITF expression in several brain areas. Specifically, c-Fos was significantly induced in the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), the medial posteroventral portion of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeMPV), and the Edinger–Westphal nucleus (EW). Expression of c-Fos was significantly lower in the dentate gyrus of alcohol-consuming animals vs. sucrose-consuming animals. However, it was not significantly different from the water controls. Induction of c-Fos in AcbC, CeMPV and EW was significantly related to blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Furthermore, FosB expression in the CeMPV and the EW was also significantly higher in the alcohol-consuming animals vs. water controls. FosB expression in the EW was significantly related to BAC. The significance of these results is two-fold. First, our experiments demonstrate that ITF mapping is an effective strategy in identifying alcohol-induced changes following voluntary consumption. Second, they suggest a relationship between ITF expression in AcbC, CeMPV and EW and the level of alcohol intoxication.

Patterns of alcohol, cigarette and illicit drug use in English adolescents.

The aim of this study was to describe associations between alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use in adolescents and demographic factors associated with substance use. The study was a classroom survey of the total population of pupils (n = 5383, ages 11-16) in six schools selected from different locations around England. Respondents were asked confidentially about their use and extent of use of alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs. The prevalence of regular substance use within the sample rose from 30.4% at age 11 to 83.9% at age 16. The prevalence of alcohol use did not differ between girls and boys, but smoking was more prevalent in girls and illegal drug use was more prevalent in boys. Alcohol was used more frequently than any other substance, or combination of substances, and alcohol use almost invariably accompanied the use of other substances: exclusive use of cigarettes or illegal drugs was negligible. In addition, high levels of alcohol intoxication were associated with increased use of both illegal drugs and cigarettes. Overall, around half the drinkers (46.8%) preferred alcopops to other types of alcoholic drink; this figure was greater in girls (56.4%) than in boys (37.1%), but fell sharply with age (62.9% at age 11; 37.7% at age 16), particularly in boys. Preference for spirits increased with age, and was particularly marked in girls (28.4% in girls vs. 18.5% in boys at age 16). Spirits drinkers were more likely to use cigarettes and drugs, and had been more frequently drunk, than either beer/wine or alcopops drinkers; these measures also tended to be higher in alcopop drinkers than in beer/wine drinkers, particularly among 11-13-year-old girls. The use of both tobacco and illicit drugs appears to be strongly associated with alcohol use, which is more prevalent, and the risk of smoking and illicit drug use is particularly high in adolescents who report high levels of drunkenness. Our results are consistent with a simple threshold model of substance abuse in which alcohol occupies a low threshold position relative to the higher threshold of cigarettes and illegal drugs. Smoking, drug use and drunkenness were lowest in beer/wine drinkers, intermediate in alcopop drinkers, and highest in spirits drinkers.

College Students' Binge Drinking at a Beach-Front Destination During Spring Break

Four hundred forty-two women and 341 men were surveyed at Panama City Beach, Florida, to assess the effects of gender, age, fraternity or sorority membership, and travel motivation on alcohol consumption and binge drinking during spring break. The mean number of drinks consumed the previous day was 18 for men and 10 for women; 91.7% of the men and 78.1% of the women had participated in a binge-drinking episode during the previous day. Respondents less than 21 years old consumed less alcohol and reported significantly lower frequencies of intoxication than those over 21. The men's reported levels of alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and intoxication to the point of sickness were significantly higher than the women's, but fraternity or sorority membership was not associated with higher levels of consumption. Students motivated to visit the specific destination because of its “party” reputation consumed significantly more alcohol than students who cited other reasons for going there.

Attributions About Acquaintance Rape: The Role of Alcohol and Individual Differences1

Reactions to an acquaintance rape scenario were examined for effects of respondent gender and portrayals of different levels of alcohol intoxication on attributions of responsibility and blame. Comparisons of conditions in which both victim and perpetrator were described as experiencing equivalent levels of intoxication revealed that participants rated the victim as more, but the perpetrator as less, responsible and blameworthy after consuming alcohol‐particularly when drinking was accompanied by clear signs of behavioral impairment. In contrast, when the victim was more intoxicated and impaired than her assailant, intoxication of the perpetrator did not serve to excuse his behavior, but actually incriminated him more. Women generally assigned more blame to the victim. Individual differences in rape myth acceptance also influenced attributions.

The use of an alcometer in clinical forensic practice

Forensic physicians are at times required to provide a professional opinion on a person's degree of intoxication through alcohol, particularly with regard to fitness for interview by the police. Inherent to these assessments is an estimation of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Most forensic physicians rely on taking a history regarding recent alcohol consumption and a clinical assessment to estimate the BAC. We report a study in which the BAC of 118 detainees was estimated and compared with the BAC measured by an alcometer. Our estimations were accurate in 66% of cases. Most errors resulted from underestimating the BAC. Additionally, we attempted to determine fitness for interview using a single measurement of the BAC without a clinical assessment. 19% of those who were assessed as unfit for interview had a BAC of less than the UK legal limit for driving (currently 80 mg%) and 37% considered fit, had a BAC above that level. We conclude that the routine use of alcometers would enhance the practice of forensic medicine but could not replace its role in the assessment of levels of alcohol intoxication.

Effects of moderate dose alcohol on visual contrast sensitivity for stationary and moving targets.

Contrast sensitivity involves distinguishing threshold luminance differences and is usually assessed using static sine-wave gratings over a range of different spatial frequencies. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of various levels of acute alcohol intoxication on contrast sensitivity to stationary and moving sine-wave gratings. Moving gratings required the subjects to make pursuit eye movements. A secondary goal was to investigate whether any alcohol-related effects were associated with any measures of intoxication. Male volunteers (N = 8) participated in three counterbalanced, double-blind, testing sessions (low alcohol, moderate alcohol and placebo) plus a control session with no beverage. Breath alcohol concentration and two subjective measures of intoxication were measured for each subject. Static and dynamic contrast sensitivity were determined for electronically generated sine-wave gratings that were either stationary or traveled in a circular path with a diameter of 9 cm (3.7 degrees) at 51.7 rpm, thus requiring the subject to make smooth pursuit eye movements. The mean blood alcohol concentration measured in the moderate alcohol condition was 0.043% and in the low alcohol condition 0.011%. Moderate dose alcohol consumption significantly impaired both static and dynamic contrast with a greater effect for moving targets. Objective and subjective measures of intoxication were unrelated to the alcohol-related losses in contrast sensitivity. Although most states currently prohibit driving with BACs of 0.08-0.10%, the present data indicate reliable visual impairment at approximately half of that level (.44%).

Simple Reaction Time Event‐Related Potentials: Effects of Alcohol and Sleep Deprivation

The effects of two levels of alcohol intoxication and 30 hr of sleep deprivation on visual event-related potential (ERP) waveforms concomitant to simple reaction time (RT) were examined in 54 normal male subjects. In a previous study, we reported that alcohol and sleep deprivation each increased RT. At a 0.05 breath alcohol concentration (BAC), the combined treatments produced an additive increase in RT, whereas at a 0.08 BAC the combined treatments produced no increase beyond that seen with each alone. In this study we present the ERP findings. Sleep deprivation alone increased the latency of a 150 msec negative component (N1) of the ERP. Alcohol increased the latency of a 250 msec negative component (N2), but only in the absence of sleep deprivation. Furthermore, this increased latency of N2 was correlated with RT measures. These results suggested that sleep deprivation slowed initial stimulus detection, whereas alcohol slowed later processing and response activation.

The dose-dependency of alcohol-induced hypoparathyroidism, hypercalciuria, and hypermagnesuria

Ingestion of alcohol evokes hypoparathyroidism, hypercalciuria, and hypermagnesuria. The dose-dependency of these changes has not been assessed before. We measured the serum concentrations of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), and serum and urine calcium and magnesium in six normal men before and at intervals up to 6 h after the ingestion of fruit juice (control) and 0.5, 1.0 and 1.3 g of alcohol per kg of body weight. As compared with the control experiment the maximum reductions in the mean PTH concentration were 31% (P = 0.19), 31% (P = 0.20) and 45% (P = 0.01) with the three alcohol doses, respectively. After stopping drinking, the urinary excretion of calcium was 85%, 142% and 207% higher during the three alcohol experiments than during the control session (P < 0.05, < 0.01 and < 0.01, respectively), also urinary magnesium increased up to threefold. We conclude that in nonalcoholic subjects acute alcohol intake induces hypoparathyroidism, hypercalciuria, and hypermagnesuria, the latter two being dose-dependent. The direct renal effects of alcohol are the major mechanisms for hypercalciuria and hypermagnesuria, but hypoparathyroidism contributes to hypercalciuria at high levels of alcohol intoxication.

Eating behaviour, drug use, psychopathology and parental bonding in adolescents in Norway

A 12-item version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-12) was constructed and applied at 1-year intervals in a non-referred cohort of 1193 adolescents in Norway aged 13-18 years. Eight percent of the girls scored beyond the chosen cut-off point of 9/10 the first time and 9% the second time. Factor analysis demonstrated 3 factors--dieting, bulimia and food preoccupation and oral control. Both the total scores on the EAT-12 and the 3 different factor scores showed a significant relationship between eating behaviour and smoking, level of alcohol consumption, alcohol intoxication, psychopathology and parental bonding.

Research needs and opportunities in server intervention programs.

Prevention specialists have recently focused on ways to shape the drinking context and environment to reduce the risks of drinking and driving. Server intervention refers to a set of strategies to control drinking in service establishments through changes in management policies, serving practices, and by training servers and other employees to monitor and control patrons' alcohol consumption. Research on server intervention is mixed, but seems to indicate that some server intervention practices can reduce levels of alcohol intoxication by patrons. Further work is needed to determine how such effects can be enhanced. Topics for future research include optimal components of specific training curriculum, policies needed to support and extend server training, importance of "booster" sessions, and the relationship of server intervention to broader social and legal environments that discourage drinking and driving.

Acute alcohol intoxication and body composition in women and men

The present study was a direct experimental comparison of administering equivalent alcohol doses based on body weight and estimated total body water to 12 women and 12 men. Each subject participated in two experimental sessions separated by at least three days. Two doses of 95% ethanol were administered in a randomized, counterbalanced order: 0.66 ml/kg of body weight, and 1.2 ml/l of total body water. Women were tested during the modfollicular phase of their menstrual cycle when plasma concentrations of estrogen and progesterone have been found to be lower than other phases of the cycle. When given doses equated for body weight, women reached significantly higher peak blood alcohol concentrations than men. No sex differences were found when equivalent doses based on total body water were administered. This differential effect of dose determination was not reflected in self-reported levels of alcohol intoxication. The anthropometric equations used to estimate total body water provided a practical, reliable method for equating alcohol doses.

Acute alcohol intoxication and female orgasmic response

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that increasing levels of acute alcohol intoxication are related to systematic changes in female orgasmic experience reflected by physiological, behavioral, and cognitive indices. Using a repeated measures design with monthly experimental sessions, each of 18 university women were sustained at four different blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) in counterbalanced order prior to viewing sexually explicit videotapes and engaging in masturbation to orgasm. Measures of vaginal blood volume obtained by means of a vaginal photoplethysmograph and complemented by a behavioral latency measure showed a progressive and systematic depressant effect of alcohol on orgasmic responding. Higher BACs were associated with longer orgasmic latencies and decreased subjective intensity of orgasm, while, paradoxically, women reported significantly greater sexual arousal and orgasmic pleasurability under conditions of moderate and high alcohol intoxication. Results have implications for treatment and prevention of alcohol‐induced orgasmic dysfunction, and the data suggest that women's orgasm will occur more readily under conditions of no alcohol consumption. Modest intake of alcohol, however, may be expected to result in greater feelings of sexual arousal, a more enjoyable orgasmic experience, and only a moderate increase in the time it takes to reach orgasm.

Alcohol effects on the orgasmic‐ejaculatory response in human males

Abstract Increasing levels of alcohol intoxication, as measured by blood‐alcohol concentration, produced significant degradation in male masturbatory effectiveness. Employing psychophysiological indices of orgasm and several subjective criteria, a progressive and systematic effect of alcohol on the orgasmic‐ejaculatory response was found. Results are discussed with implications for the etiology, treatment, and prevention of alcohol‐induced sexual dysfunction in males.

Effects of moderate levels of blood alcohol on responses to information from simulated automobile rear-signal systems

The experiment investigated the effects of functional separation of brake and turn-signals, and of low levels of alcohol intoxication on a driver's ability to detect and interpret rear-signal information presented on a model automobile in a laboratory setting. Twelve experienced drivers performed the laboratory task for one-hour sessions on five successive days. Three independent variables were examined in a randomized-block factorial design. These consisted of two types of rear-signal systems, one with brake and turn-signals combined under the same lens, the other with brake and turn-signals under separate lenses, four levels of blood alcohol, and six levels of stimulus complexity. Response errors and the latencies between the onset of the stimulus and both the onset of the response and the completion of the response were measured. Results indicated that response variables were not equally sensitive to the task and that performance was significantly affected by model type and stimulus complexity. Performance deteriorated with blood alcohol levels as low as 0.05% on the combined model and 0.08% on the model that separated brake and turn-signal lights. Results are discussed in terms of the stimulus-identification/response-choice components of the task, and in terms of the optimum coding methods for rear signals.

Effects of Functional Separation and Low Levels of Blood Alcohol on the Response to Automobile Rear-Signal Information

The experiment investigated the effects of functional separation of brake and turn-signals, and of low levels of alcohol intoxication on a driver's ability to detect and interpret rear-signal information presented on a model automobile in a laboratory setting. Twelve experienced drivers performed the laboratory task for one-hour sessions on five successive days. Three independent variables were examined in a randomized-block, factorial design. These consisted of two levels of model type, one with brake and turn-signals combined under the same lens, the other with brake and turn-signals under separate lenses, four levels of blood alcohol, .00, .02, .05, and .08%, and six levels of stimulus complexity, representing six types of rear-signal information. Response variables consisted of response errors and the latencies between the onset of the stimulus and both the onset of the response and the completion of the response. Results indicated that the response variables were not equally sensitive to the task and that performance was significantly affected by model type and stimulus complexity. Performance deteriorated with blood alcohol levels as low as .05% on the combined model and 0.8% on the model that separated brake and turn-signal lights. Results are discussed in terms of the stimulus-identification/response-choice components of the task, and in terms of optimal coding methods for rear signals.

Effects of alcohol on sexual reflexes and mating behavior in the male rat.

In order to determine if some of the impairment of sexual behavior by alcohol reflects a selective depressive action of alcohol on sexual reflexes, intraperitoneal injections of 1, 2 and 3 gm per kg doses of alcohol, as well as a control dose of saline, were given to intact and spinal adult male rats. Intact males were tested for sexual behavior and spinal males were tested for sexual reflexes. The number of genital responses in spinal subjects with the 2 and 3 gm doses of alcohol were significantly less than the number of genital responses with saline injections or lower doses of alcohol. With the 1 gm dose intact subjects appeared normal. With the 2 gm dose intact subjects were sexually motivated, as indicated by their attempts to copulate with a receptive female, but there was a significant reduction in number of ejaculations and a significant increased latency to ejaculation. There was also a depression of other measures of sexual activity. With the 3 gm dose all intact subjects fell asleep. The results support the conclusion that with certain levels of alcohol intoxication, sexual motivation, reflecting the activity of higher neural structures, may remain while sexual potency or capability, reflecting the activity of sexual reflexes in the spinal cord, is diminished.

A Slipping Test for Measuring Level of Alcohol Intoxication in the Mouse

A Slipping Test for Measuring Level of Alcohol Intoxication in the Mouse

A Test for Level of Alcohol Intoxication in the Rat

A Test for Level of Alcohol Intoxication in the Rat