Effects Of Alcohol Hangover Research Articles

Bibliometric Analysis of Psychomotricity Research Trends: The Current Role of Childhood.

Psychomotricity is a wide broad term, which encompasses different bodily action approaches to support children and adolescents to achieve their highest potential. A search on the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database was performed on this topic, using traditional bibliometric laws. Finally, 118 publications (112 articles and 6 reviews) documents were found. Annual publications presented an exponentially growing trend (R2 = 84.7%). Spain was the most productive country/region worldwide. Paola Magioncalda, Matteo Martino y Víctor Arufe Giraldez were highlighted as the most prolific co-authors. "Retos Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación" was the most productive journal and the "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health", was the second most productive; the third in the list was the most productive in the JCR ranking. Thus, research on psychomotricity is experiencing exponential growth, causing this topic to generate great interest among researchers, publishers and journals. The most cited paper was "Neurocognitive Effects of Alcohol Hangover". The author keywords that were first raised together with psychomotricity were related to rehabilitation and psychomotor development, while the current trend was focused on physical activity and early childhood education.

Effects of alcohol hangover on attentional resources during a verbal memory/psychomotor tracking dual attention task

BackgroundAlcohol hangover (AH) is associated with impaired attention and memory performance. However, whether this effect is related to reduced attentional resources remains unclear.AimsA dual-attention paradigm was employed to assess the effects of AH on attentional resources, delayed memory recognition, and the interaction between attentional load and AH. Mental effort and perceived performance during AH and control conditions were also assessed.MethodsA seminaturalistic, crossover design was used. In total, 25 healthy social drinkers aged 18–35 years, visited the laboratory following a typical night out drinking (Hangover condition) and after alcohol abstinence (control) between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm, with conditions counterbalanced. Attentional load was manipulated via the presence (dual attention) or absence of psychomotor tracking during verbal memory encoding. Perceived mental effort and performance were measured using the NASA-TLX. Participants’ recollected alcohol consumption was used to compute estimated blood alcohol level (eBAC).ResultsCompared with the control visit, AH was associated with reduced recognition accuracy (particularly more false negatives), higher “tracking costs” (poorer accuracy) in the dual attention condition, increased ratings of “mental demand,” “effort,” and “frustration,” and lower ratings of task performance. There was also a significant main effect of attentional load with poorer recognition accuracy and response time in the dual attention condition. There were no significant interaction effects between hangover and attentional load.ConclusionThese findings suggest that reduced attentional resources contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with AH including impaired memory consolidation. They further suggest that while hungover, participants are aware of these deficits but are unable to compensate.

Alcohol intoxication, but not hangover, differentially impairs learning and automatization of complex motor response sequences

Behavioral automatization usually makes us more efficient and less error-prone, but may also foster dysfunctional behavior like alcohol abuse. Yet, it has remained unclear whether alcohol itself causes the shift from controlled to habitual behavior commonly observed in alcohol use disorder (AUD). We thus investigated how the acute and post-acute effects of binge drinking affect the automatization of motor response sequences and the execution of automated vs. controlled motor response sequences. N = 70 healthy young men performed a newly developed automatization paradigm once sober and once after binge drinking (half of them intoxicated and half of them hungover). While we found no significant effects of alcohol hangover, acute intoxication (~ 1.2 ‰) had two dissociable effects: Firstly, it impaired the automatization of complex motor response sequence execution. Secondly, it eliminated learning effects in response selection and pre-motor planning processes. The results suggest that alcohol hangover did not affect controlled or automated processes, and disprove the assumption that alcohol intoxication generally spares or facilitates motor response sequence automatization. As these effects could be specific to the investigated explicit learning context, acute intoxication might potentially still improve the execution of pre-existing automatisms and/or the implicit acquisition of motor response sequence automatisms.

The Effects of Alcohol Hangover on Response Inhibition and Attentional Bias towards Alcohol-Related Stimuli.

Alcohol hangover is associated with the development of alcohol use disorders, yet few studies have examined the influence of hangover on cognitive processes that may contribute towards future alcohol consumption such as response inhibition and attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the effects of hangover on these processes. In total, 37 adult drinkers who reported regularly engaging in heavy episodic drinking and experiencing a hangover at least once in the previous month took part in this within-subjects, “naturalistic” crossover study. Participants completed Go/No-Go (assessing response inhibition) and Visual Dot Probe (attentional bias) tasks in a hangover condition (morning following alcohol consumption) and a no-hangover condition (no alcohol consumption for at least 24 h). Participants also completed measures of hangover severity, mood, and perceived mental effort. Results indicated impaired response inhibition during hangover compared to the no-hangover condition (p < 0.001, d = 0.89), but no difference in attentional bias scores between conditions. Participants reported expending greater mental effort to complete tasks (p < 0.001, d = 1.65), decreased alertness (p < 0.001, d = 3.19), and reduced feelings of tranquillity (p < 0.001, d = 1.49) in the hangover versus no-hangover condition. Together, these findings suggest that alcohol hangover is associated with impaired response inhibition and lower mood. However, problems with recording eye-tracking data on the Visual Dot Probe task used in the present study may limit the reliability of our attentional bias findings.

Does Alcohol Hangover Affect Emotion Regulation Capacity? Evidence From a Naturalistic Cross-Over Study Design

Abstract Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol hangover on emotion regulation. Methods Forty-five non-smoking, healthy participants aged between 18 and 30 years completed a lab-based emotion regulation task assessing cognitive reappraisal and an emotion regulation questionnaire (State-Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [S-DERS]) when hungover (morning following a night of heavy drinking) and under a no-hangover condition in a naturalistic, within-subjects design study. Results Participants reported poorer emotion regulation overall (P &amp;lt; 0.001, d = 0.75), and for the subscales ‘Non-Acceptance’, ‘Modulation’ and ‘Clarity’ (Ps ≤ 0.001, ds ≥ 0.62), but not ‘Awareness’ on the S-DERS, in the hangover versus the no-hangover condition. Hangover did not impair emotion regulation ability as assessed using the lab-based task (Ps ≥ 0.21, ds ≤ 0.40), but there was a general negative shift in valence ratings (i.e. all images were rated more negatively) in the hangover relative to the no-hangover condition (P &amp;lt; 0.001, d = 1.16). Conclusion These results suggest that emotion regulation in everyday life and emotional reactivity may be adversely affected by alcohol hangover, but some emotion regulation strategies (e.g. deliberate cognitive reappraisal) may be unaffected.

The Effects of Alcohol Hangover on Executive Functions.

Recent research has suggested that processes reliant on executive functions are impaired by an alcohol hangover, yet few studies have investigated the effect of hangovers on core executive function processes. Therefore, the current study investigated the effect of hangovers on the three core components of the unity/diversity model of executive functions: the ability to switch attention, update information in working memory, and maintain goals. Thirty-five 18-to-30-year-old non-smoking individuals who reported experiencing a hangover at least once in the previous month participated in this study. They completed tasks measuring switching (number-switching task), updating (n-back task), and goal maintenance (AX Continuous Performance Test, AX-CPT) whilst experiencing a hangover and without a hangover in a ‘naturalistic’ within-subjects crossover design. Participants made more errors in the switching task (p = 0.019), more errors in both the 1- (p < 0.001) and 2-back (p < 0.001) versions of the n-back, and more errors in the AX-CPT (p = 0.007) tasks when experiencing a hangover, compared to the no-hangover condition. These results suggest that an alcohol hangover impairs core executive function processes that are important for everyday behaviours, such as decision-making, planning, and mental flexibility.

The Effects of Alcohol Hangover on Mood and Performance Assessed at Home.

The current study evaluated the next day consequences of a social night of drinking compared to a no alcohol night, with standardised mood and portable screen-based performance measures assessed in the morning at participants’ homes, and a breathalyser screen for zero alcohol. A mixed sex group (n = 20) took part in the study. Participants reported consuming on average 16.9 units (135 g) alcohol, resulting in a hangover rating of 60 (out of 100) compared to 0.3 following the no alcohol night. Statistical significance comparisons contrasting the hangover with the no alcohol condition revealed an increase in negative mood and irritability during hangover and an (unexpected) increase in risk and thrill seeking. Performance scores showed an overall slowing of responses across measures, but with less impact on errors. The results support the description of hangover as a general state of cognitive impairment, reflected in slower responses and reduced accuracy across a variety of measures of cognitive function. This suggests a general level of impairment due to hangover, as well as increased negative mood. The use of a naturalistic design enabled the impact of more typical levels of alcohol associated with real life social consumption to be assessed, revealing wide ranging neurocognitive impairment with these higher doses. This study has successfully demonstrated the sensitivity of home-based assessment of the impact of alcohol hangover on a range of subjective and objective measures. The observed impairments, which may significantly impair daily activities such as driving a car or job performance, should be further investigated and taken into account by policy makers.

P.442 Sensitivity to acute alcohol effects does not predict sensitivity to alcohol hangover effects

Chronic use at high dose of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco is associated with physical disease. The relative physical harm of these substances has not been described before, but will benefit the guiding of policy measures about licit and illicit substances.The physical harm of 19 addictive substances (including alcohol and tobacco), consisting of toxicity and the risk and severity of somatic disease (not psychiatric disease) was assessed based on literature data and the professional opinion of experts using scores ranging from 0 (no physical harm) to 3 (very serious physical harm).For alcohol, tobacco and some illicit drugs strong associations between long-term use or use in high dose versus the risk of somatic disease have been described, whereas for other substances such data are not available. Magic mushrooms, LSD and methylphenidate obtained relatively low scores (0.45–0.65) for physical harm, whereas relatively high scores were given for heroin (2.09), crack (2.32), alcohol (2.13) and tobacco (2.10). For cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol the estimated societal disease burden was higher than at individual level. The present ranking solely based on their physical harm was very similar to a previous ranking based on a combination of dependence liability, physical harm and social impairments.

Alcohol Hangover Slightly Impairs Response Selection but not Response Inhibition.

Alcohol hangover commonly occurs after an episode of heavy drinking. It has previously been demonstrated that acute high-dose alcohol intoxication reduces cognitive control, while automatic processes remain comparatively unaffected. However, it has remained unclear whether alcohol hangover, as a consequence of binge drinking, modulates the interplay between cognitive control and automaticity in a comparable way. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of alcohol hangover on controlled versus automatic response selection and inhibition. N = 34 healthy young men completed a Simon Nogo task, once sober and once hungover. Hangover symptoms were experimentally induced by a standardized administration of alcoholic drinks (with high congener content) on the night before the hangover appointment. We found no significant hangover effects, which suggests that alcohol hangover did not produce the same functional deficits as an acute high-dose intoxication. Yet still, add-on Bayesian analyses revealed that hangover slightly impaired response selection, but not response inhibition. This pattern of effects cannot be explained with the current knowledge on how ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde may modulate response selection and inhibition via the dopaminergic or GABAergic system.

Effects of Alcohol Hangover on Cognitive Performance: Findings from a Field/Internet Mixed Methodology Study.

Results from studies into the cognitive effects of alcohol hangover have been mixed. They also present methodological challenges, often relying on self-reports of alcohol consumption leading to hangover. The current study measured Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC, which was obtained via breathalyzer) and self-reported drinking behavior during a night out. These were then related to hangover severity and cognitive function, measured over the internet in the same subjects, the following morning. Volunteers were breathalyzed and interviewed as they left the central entertainment district of an Australian state capital. They were provided with a unique identifier and, the following morning, logged on to a website. They completed a number of measures including an online version of the Alcohol Hangover Severity Scale (AHSS), questions regarding number and type of drinks consumed the previous night, and the eTMT-B-a validated, online analogue of the Trail Making Test B (TMT-B) of executive function and working memory. Hangover severity was significantly correlated with one measure only, namely the previous night’s Breath Alcohol Concentration (r = 0.228, p = 0.019). Completion time on the eTMT-B was significantly correlated with hangover severity (r = 0.245, p = 0.012), previous night’s BAC (r = 0.197, p = 0.041), and time spent dinking (r = 0.376, p < 0.001). These findings confirm that alcohol hangover negatively affects cognitive functioning and that poorer working memory and executive performance correlate with hangover severity. The results also support the utility and certain advantages of using online measures in hangover research.

The effects of alcohol hangover on future drinking behavior and the development of alcohol problems

IntroductionAlcohol hangover experiences in young adulthood have been shown to predict more subsequent alcohol problems. Hangover susceptibility appears to be partially heritable and related to family history of alcohol use disorders. However, very little is known about the developmental course of these associations and whether they are accounted for by an individual's drinking history. The goal of this study is to investigate the prospective and unique relationships between family history of alcohol use disorders, severity of alcohol hangover experiences in adolescence, and later alcohol use and related problems measured over 13years. MethodsParticipants were first assessed on family history at age 12–14, prior to initiating drinking, and re-assessed annually on hangover severity, drinks per drinking day (DPDD), and alcohol-related problems throughout the 13-year follow-up period (n=205; 59% male). ResultsIn mixed effects negative binomial regression models, greater family history density scores predicted more future DPDD (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR]=1.19, p=0.04), alcohol problems (IRR=1.64, p=0.05), and future hangover severity (IRR=1.24; p=0.01). In turn, greater hangover severity predicted more future DPDD (IRR=1.03; p=0.002) and alcohol problems (IRR=1.12, p<0.001), and hangover severity mediated the relationship between family history and alcohol use/problems. All models controlled for participant age, sex, and past drinking behavior (where relevant). ConclusionsThese results advance the alcohol hangover experience during late adolescence as a clinically relevant and uniquely informative marker of future alcohol use and problems, above and beyond that of prior personal or familial drinking history.

Predicting perceived safety to drive the morning after drinking: The importance of hangover symptoms.

People driving the day after drinking are at risk of impaired performance and accidents due to continued intoxication or the effects of alcohol hangover. Drivers are poor at estimating their own blood alcohol concentration, and some drive despite believing they are over the legal limit. It is therefore important to identify other factors influencing perceived ability to drive 'the morning after'. This study tested how accurately participants estimated their legal driving status, and the contribution of beliefs and hangover symptoms to the prediction of perceived driving safety. This cross-sectional study involved 193 students completing a questionnaire and alcohol breath test the morning after heavy alcohol consumption. Indicators of subjective intoxication, severity of hangover symptoms, estimated legal status and perceived safety to drive were measured. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted. No participants thought they were under the English legal limit when they were not, and 47% thought they were over the limit when they were in fact legally permissible to drive. However, 20% of those believing they were over the limit nevertheless rated themselves as safe to drive. Hangover symptoms added 17% variance to the prediction of perceived safety to drive, over and above objective and subjective measures of intoxication. Perceived severity of hangover symptoms influence beliefs about driving ability: When judging safety to drive, people experiencing less severe symptoms believe they are less impaired. If this finding is robust, health promotion campaigns should aim to correct this misapprehension. [Cameron E, French D. Predicting perceived safety to drive the morning after drinking: The importance of hangover symptoms. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:442-446].

A critical analysis of alcohol hangover research methodology for surveys or studies of effects on cognition

Alcohol hangover may be defined as an adverse effect of heavy alcohol consumption present after sufficient time has elapsed for the alcohol to have been eliminated from the blood. Understanding how hangover may impair performance is important for public safety; yet, there is relatively little hangover research. This paper outlines good practice for future studies. This paper presents a critical analysis of hangover methodology for surveys or studies of effects on cognition with human subjects and provides suggestions for optimum research practice for laboratory-based and naturalistic alcohol hangover studies. Four hangover symptom scales have been developed and subjected to psychometric testing. For retrospective assessment, we recommend the Hangover Symptoms Scale (HSS) or the Alcohol Hangover Severity Scale (AHSS). For concurrent assessment of hangover symptoms, we recommend either the Acute Hangover Scale (AHS), the five-item version of the HSS, or the AHSS. In research aiming to assess the cognitive effects of alcohol hangover, we suggest focusing on the cognitive domains of attention, memory and executive function, and we specify a number of tests within these cognitive domains that are likely to be sensitive to any decrements due to hangover. Finally, we argue that naturalistic studies should assess biological markers to improve the accuracy of estimates of alcohol consumption. Specifically, we recommend the assessment of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) for this purpose. Recommendations are made with respect to assessing hangover symptoms, cognitive effects of hangover and biological markers of alcohol consumption.

Effects of alcohol hangover on simulated highway driving performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of alcohol hangover on simulated highway driving performance. Driving performance of forty-two social drinkers was tested the morning following an evening of consuming on average 10.2 (SD = 4.2) alcoholic drinks (alcohol hangover) and on a control day (no alcohol consumed). Subjects performed a standardized 100-km highway driving test in the STISIM driving simulator. In addition to the standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP; i.e., the weaving of the car), lapses of attention were examined. Self-reported driving quality and driving style were scored, as well as mental effort to perform the test, sleepiness before and after driving, and hangover severity. Driving performance was significantly impaired during alcohol hangover as expressed by an SDLP increase of +1.9cm (t (1,41) = 2.851, p = 0.007), increased number of lapses relative to the control day (7.7 versus 5.3 lapses, t (1,41) = 2.125, p = 0.019), and an increased total lapse time (182.7 versus 127.3s, p = 0.040). During alcohol hangover, subjects reported their driving quality to be significantly poorer (t (1,41) = 4.840, p = 0.001) and less safe (t (1,41) = 5.078, p = 0.001), wise (t (1,41) = 4.061, p = 0.001), predictable (t (1,41) = 3.475, p = 0.001), and responsible (t (1,41) = 4.122, p = 0.001). Subjects further reported being significantly more tense while driving (t (1,41) = 3.280, p = 0.002), and more effort was needed to perform the driving test (t (1,41) = 2.941, p = 0.001). There was a significant interaction with total sleep time and hangover effects on SDLP and the number of lapses. In conclusion, driving is significantly impaired during alcohol hangover, as expressed in an elevated SDLP and increased number of lapses. Total sleep time has a significant impact on the magnitude of driving impairment.

Alcohol hangover: Type and time-extension of motor function impairments

Alcohol hangover is defined as the unpleasant next-day state following an evening of excessive alcohol consumption. Hangover begins when ethanol is absent in plasma and is characterized by physical and psychological symptoms. During hangover cognitive functions and subjective capacities are affected along with inefficiency, reduced productivity, absenteeism, driving impairments, poor academic achievement and reductions in motor coordination. The aim of this work was to study the type and length of motor and exploratory functions from the beginning to the end of the alcohol hangover. Male Swiss mice were injected i.p. either with saline (control group) or with ethanol (3.8g/kg BW) (hangover group). Motor performance, walking deficiency, motor strength, locomotion and exploratory activity were evaluated at a basal point (ZT0) and every 2h up to 20h after blood alcohol levels were close to zero (hangover onset). Motor performance was 80% decreased at the onset of hangover (p<0.001). Hangover mice exhibited a reduced motor performance during the next 16h (p<0.01). Motor function was recovered 20h after hangover onset. Hangover mice displayed walking deficiencies from the beginning to 16h after hangover onset (p<0.05). Moreover, mice suffering from a hangover, exhibited a significant decrease in neuromuscular strength during 16h (p<0.001). Averaged speed and total distance traveled in the open field test and the exploratory activity on T-maze and hole board tests were reduced during 16h after hangover onset (p<0.05). Our findings demonstrate a time-extension between 16 to 20h for hangover motor and exploratory impairments. As a whole, this study shows the long lasting effects of alcohol hangover.

1594 – Effects of alcohol hangover on driving performance

Introduction Alcohol hangover is the most commonly experienced next day consequence of heavy drinking. The symptoms experienced during this post-intoxication state develop when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) returns to zero. The feeling of general misery can persist up to 24 h and can significantly affect planned activities and cognitive functioning. Objective To examine the effects of alcohol hangover on driving performance. Methods In N=47 healthy volunteers, driving performance was tested the morning following heavy drinking (alcohol hangover) and on a control day (no alcohol). Subjects performed a standardized 100-km highway driving test in the STISIM driving simulator. Primary outcome measure was the Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP), i.e. the weaving of the car. In addition, self-reported driving quality and driving style measures were scored. Results Driving performance was significantly worse during alcohol hangover (ΔSDLP = +1.85 cm; p=0.005). Driving impairment during alcohol hangover was supported by subjective measures. During alcohol hangover, driving quality was rated as significantly worse (p=0.0001), less safe, less considerate, less predictable, and less responsible (p=0.001). Subject reported being significantly more tensed during hangover and more effort was needed to perform the driving test (p=0.001). Conclusion Driving is significantly impaired during alcohol hangover. The magnitude of driving impairment is higher than that observed after administering alcohol to achieve a BAC of 0.05% (ΔSDLP = +1.7 cm), i.e. the legal limit for driving in many countries.

The negative effects of alcohol hangover on high-anxiety phenotype rats are influenced by the glutamate receptors of the dorsal midbrain

Alcoholism is a chronic disorder characterized by the appearance of a withdrawal syndrome following the abrupt cessation of alcohol intake that includes symptoms of physical and emotional disturbances, anxiety being the most prevalent symptom. In humans, it was shown that anxiety may increase the probability of relapse. In laboratory animals, however, the use of anxiety to predict alcohol preference has remained difficult. Excitatory amino acids as glutamate have been implicated in alcohol hangover and may be responsible for the seizures and anxiety observed during withdrawal. The dorsal periaqueductal gray (DPAG) is a midbrain region critical for the modulation/expression of anxiety- and fear-related behaviors and the propagation of seizures induced by alcohol withdrawal, the glutamate neurotransmission being one of the most affected. The present study was designed to evaluate whether low- (LA) and high-anxiety rats (HA), tested during the alcohol hangover phase, in which anxiety is the most prevalent symptom, are more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of alcohol when tested in a voluntary alcohol drinking procedure. Additionally, we were interested in investigating the main effects of reducing the excitatory tonus of the dorsal midbrain, after the blockade of the ionotropic glutamate receptors into the DPAG, on the voluntary alcohol intake of HA and LA motivated rats that were made previously experienced with the free operant response of alcohol drinking. For this purpose, we used local infusions of the N-metil D-Aspartato (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-kainate receptors antagonist DL-2-Amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid – DL-AP7 (10nmol/0.2μl) and l-glutamic acid diethyl ester – GDEE (160nmol/0.2μl), respectively. Alcohol intoxication was produced by 10 daily bolus intraperitonial (IP) injections of alcohol (2.0g/kg). Peak-blood alcohol levels were determined by gas-chromatography analysis in order to assess blood-alcohol content. Unconditioned and conditioned anxiety-like behavior was assessed by the use of the fear-potentiated startle procedure (FPS). Data collected showed that anxiety and alcohol drinking in HA animals are positively correlated in animals that were made previously familiarized with the anxiolytic effects of alcohol. In addition, anxiety-like behavior induced during alcohol hangover seems to be an effect of changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission into DPAG possibly involving AMPA/kainate and NMDA receptors, among others.

Cognitive and Psychomotor Performance During Alcohol Hangover

The consequences of alcohol consumption have risen high on health and social agendas in recent years. Although much work has focused on the physical problems associated with alcohol use, one theme that has emerged in alcohol research has been a focus on the effects of hangovers on functioning. This brief literature review specifically examines recent empirical investigations of the relationship between alcohol hangover and psychological performance and is tabled as an update to our earlier review of similar research (Stephens et al., 2008). A literature search generated 75 results on hangover and cognition (and synonyms) since the last published review. However, of these, only 4 met all inclusion criteria, such as establishing that BAL (Blood Alcohol Level) was zero at testing. Taking the findings of these newer studies with those that we reviewed previously, there appears to be real evidence of convergence of findings. There are now four rigorous laboratory studies, two less rigorous laboratory studies lacking placebo control and two rigorous naturalistic studies that indicate specific cognitive decrements in attention and memory during the hangover phase of alcohol consumption. Given this convergence, research agendas for increasing understanding of the cognitive effects of alcohol hangover should now switch from studies that routinely assess many cognitive functions to studies assessing the attention and memory deficits of hangover in greater detail.

The alcohol hangover-a puzzling phenomenon

The alcohol hangover develops when blood alcohol concentration (BAC) returns to zero and is characterized by a feeling of general misery that may last more than 24 h. It comprises a variety of symptoms including drowsiness, concentration problems, dry mouth, dizziness, gastro-intestinal complaints, sweating, nausea, hyper-excitability, and anxiety. The alcohol hangover is an intriguing issue since it is unknown why these symptoms are present after alcohol and its metabolites are eliminated from the body. Although numerous scientific papers cover the acute effects of alcohol consumption, researchers largely neglected the issue of alcohol hangover. This lack of scientific interest is remarkable, since almost everybody is familiar with the unpleasant hangover effects that may arise the day after an evening of excessive drinking, and with the ways these symptoms may affect performance of planned activities. Many people favour the (unproven) popular belief that dehydration is the main cause of alcohol hangover symptoms. However, taking a closer look at the present research on biological changes during alcohol hangovers suggests otherwise. A limited number of experiments have studied biological changes that are present the day after excessive drinking (for a review, see Ylikahri and Huttunen, 1977). Significant changes were reported on endocrine parameters (increased concentrations of vasopressin, aldosterone, and renin) and metabolic acidosis (reduced blood pH values due to increased concentrations of lactate, ketone bodies, and free fatty acids). These effects are related to dehydration and cause symptoms such as dry mouth and thirst. In addition, changes in immune system parameters (increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokine [IL-12] and interferon-gamma [IFNγ]) have been reported (Kim et al. , 2003). It is likely that these changes in immune system parameters cause the more ‘cognitive’ alcohol hangover effects such as memory impairment and mood changes. Moreover, these findings suggest that alcohol hangover and dehydration are two independent …

Review * A review of the literature on the cognitive effects of alcohol hangover

Alcohol misuse is a prime social and health problem in the UK. This paper presents a critical review of literature on the performance effects in the morning after binge drinking - during the alcohol hangover. Several pathophysiological changes that both follow and outlast acute intoxication may give rise to alcohol hangover effects. We have identified 27 English language peer-reviewed studies that investigate aspects of psychological performance during alcohol hangover following controlled alcohol ingestion. However, the majority of studies had basic methodological shortcomings. Of eight laboratory studies rigorous enough to warrant serious attention, only two showed effects. We interpret these largely negative findings as evidence of an insensitivity that is intrinsic to laboratory-based studies of performance under the influence of alcohol. Several studies have investigated the cognitive consequences of hangover subsequent to naturalistic consumption, where participants have chosen what and where to drink. Although these studies have tended to show effects, participants were always informed at the outset that hangover effects were to be assessed, and participants knew which was the hangover condition. Under these circumstances expectancy effects have possibly contaminated the results significantly. Therefore, naturalistic alcohol consumption studies (and laboratory studies that did not employ a placebo) can be considered as being suggestive of hangover effects, but should not be interpreted as providing definitive evidence of such effects. In conclusion, although there is empirical evidence showing impaired performance as a result of the alcohol hangover, future studies should confirm these findings and overcome the shortcomings of previous research.