Acute Ethanol-Induced Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow
Summary
Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes were studied with high resolution SPECT and 99mTc-HMPAO in six healthy males during basal condition and after they had rapidly consumed intoxicating amounts of ethanol. Just before the ethanol intake, the subjects were blindly treated with either intravenous physiological saline or the opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone. The results demonstrated that rCBF was increased in the medial and right prefrontal cortices (p < 0.01) after placebo (saline) administration. No significant changes in rCBF were found after naloxone. The results suggest that euphoria occurring during acute ethanol intake is associated with an activation of the medial and right prefrontal cortices.
Keywords
Prefrontal Cortex Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Ethanol Intake Perfusion Index Cerebral Glucose MetabolismPreview
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