Low Dose Alcohol Effects on Early Processing in Non-Problem Drinkers

描述（由申请人提供）：传统上，适量饮酒被认为是安全的，因为它们所导致的中毒程度最低。然而，最近的研究表明，即使是低至中等剂量也可能与与日常活动相关的复杂神经行为任务的损伤有关。需要进一步的工作来揭示这些缺陷背后的神经行为系统。在当前的项目中，我们计划使用电生理技术来测量由适度酒精剂量引起的前意识感觉加工的中断，并测试这些中断与注意偏差任务中的表现缺陷的关联程度。我们假设，摄入这些剂量会损害用于过滤无关环境刺激来保护高阶注意力系统的感觉机制，导致我们在行为任务中的表现较差。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Traditionally, consumption of moderate alcohol doses has been considered safe due to the minimal level of intoxication they confer. Recent studies, however, suggest that even low to moderate dose levels may be associated with impairments in complex neurobehavioral tasks relevant to daily activities. Further work to uncover the neurobehavioral system(s) underlying these deficits is needed. In the current project, we plan to use electrophysiological techniques to measure disruptions in preconscious sensory processing induced by moderate alcohol doses and test the extent to which these disruptions are associated with performance deficits on a task of attentional bias. We posit that consumption of these doses will impair sensory mechanisms used to protect higher-order attentional systems by filtering irrelevant environmental stimuli, resulting in poorer performance on our behavioral task. In light of recent data regarding the disassociation between performance and perceived impairment, we will also investigate the relationship between self-reported levels of intoxication and disruptions of sensory and attentional systems. Using healthy, male and female non-problem moderate drinkers between the ages of 25 and 55, a double-blind, placebo controlled design with three dose levels (0.0%, 0.04% and 0.065%) will be employed. The results of these experiments will provide us with important information regarding the effects of alcohol doses typically believed to be benign on important preconscious neurobehavioral processes.