Abstract
Rationale
Our previous work demonstrated differential neurobehavioral effects of low-dose alcohol consumption on older and younger adults in a driving simulator. However, the ability to enhance or suppress a response in such context has yet to be examined.
Objectives
The current study contrasted older and younger drivers’ responses to specific stimuli (i.e., relevant, irrelevant) in scenarios of differing complexity following low-dose acute alcohol administration.
Methods
Healthy older (55–70) and younger (25–35) adults completed two driving scenarios (i.e., country and metropolis) both before and after consuming beverages targeted to reach peak BrACs of 0.00, 0.04, or 0.065%. Throughout the simulation, participants encountered relevant stimuli (e.g., pedestrians walking into the street) and irrelevant stimuli (e.g., pedestrians walking parallel). Peak deceleration, range of steering, and distance until brake application were assessed within a 450-ft window preceding each stimulus.
Results
Following low-dose alcohol consumption, older adults shifted from a strategy using both deceleration and steering to relying solely on deceleration in responding to relevant stimuli in the country. Older adults under both low and moderate alcohol conditions displayed an inability to withhold responses to irrelevant stimuli in the metropolis.
Conclusion
These findings are consistent with our prior work showing differential effects of low-dose alcohol on older, relative to younger, adults. The interactive effects of age and alcohol, however, depend on stimulus type and environmental complexity. Continued investigation of neurobehavioral mechanisms in ecologically valid paradigms is necessary for understanding the implications of the combined impairing effects of alcohol and older age.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Mark Fillmore and Sarah Reaves for their contributions to this project. Support for this project was provided by R01AA019802 (S.J. Nixon, PI) and F31AA0919862 (J. Boissoneault, PI; S.J. Nixon, Sponsor).
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Price, J.L., Lewis, B., Boissoneault, J. et al. Effects of acute alcohol and driving complexity in older and younger adults. Psychopharmacology 235, 887–896 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4806-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4806-3