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Neurophysiological Correlates of Moderate Alcohol Consumption in Older and Younger Social Drinkers
Author(s) -
Lewis Ben,
Boissoneault Jeff,
Gilbertson Rebecca,
Prather Robert,
Nixon Sara Jo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12055
Subject(s) - alcohol , young adult , medicine , audiology , population , placebo , impulsivity , caffeine , alcohol consumption , ageing , psychology , gerontology , psychiatry , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine , environmental health , pathology
Background Nearly 40% of adults aged 65 and older in the U nited S tates consume alcohol. Research in older adults has largely examined potential health effects of a moderate drinking lifestyle. Examination of acute effects in this population is generally lacking. To investigate alcohol‐induced alteration of electrophysiological correlates of attention in this population, we employed a covert attentional task. We hypothesized that moderate alcohol administration as well as older age would reduce P 3 amplitude and increase latency. We anticipated an interaction such that, relative to their age‐matched controls, older adults receiving alcohol would be more affected than their younger counterparts. Methods Participants included healthy older (aged 50 to 67; n = 20; 9 men) and younger (aged 25 to 35; n = 12; 5 men) moderate drinkers. Participants received either a moderate dose of alcohol (breath alcohol concentration ∼50 mg/dl) or a placebo beverage. Following absorption, the task was administered and neurophysiological measures were obtained. P 3 amplitude and latency were separately subjected to ANOVA across cue conditions using age and dose as independent variables. Results As predicted, P 3 amplitude in older adults was significantly lower than in younger adults across cue conditions. An age by alcohol interaction was detected, revealing that older adults receiving alcohol showed lower P 3 amplitudes than any other group. An age effect for P 3 latency was found, with older adults having longer latencies than their younger counterparts. A significant age by alcohol interaction for P 3 latency was detected, revealing that older adults receiving alcohol displayed delayed P 3 latencies relative to older adults receiving placebo. In contrast, younger adults receiving alcohol had reduced latency compared to those receiving placebo, although this effect did not reach significance. Conclusions Results suggest that older adults demonstrated alcohol‐related shifts in P 3 characteristics during an intentional attention task, whereas younger adults failed to demonstrate this pattern.