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Low Dose of Ethanol Suppresses Mismatch Negativity of Auditory Event‐Related Potentials
Author(s) -
Jääskeläinen Iiro P.,
Lehtokoski Anne,
Alho Kimmo,
Kujala Teija,
Pekkonen Eero,
Sinclair John David,
Näätänen Risto,
Sillanaukee Pekka
Publication year - 1995
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/j.1530-0277.1995.tb01555.x
Subject(s) - mismatch negativity , audiology , dichotic listening , psychology , event related potential , evoked potential , contingent negative variation , auditory event , electroencephalography , preconscious , selective attention , vigilance (psychology) , electrophysiology , auditory stimuli , cognition , developmental psychology , perception , neuroscience , medicine , unconscious mind , psychoanalysis
The acute effect of a low dose of ethanol (0.5 g/kg) on attention and auditory event‐related potentials (ERPs) was investigated in 10 social drinkers using a single‐blind, placebo‐controlled cross‐over design. A dichotic listening task, in which the subjects were instructed to attend selectively to stimuli to one ear while ignoring stimuli to the other, was used. The amplitudes of N1, P2, and the mismatch negativity (MMN) were significantly diminished by alcohol. The latencies of the MMN and N2b were also significantly increased after alcohol ingestion. The novel finding of the significant (>60% reduction in amplitude) suppression of the MMN can be interpreted as indicating disturbed preconscious detection of acoustic changes outside the scope of attention. Because this is a prerequisite to an attentional shift, the MMN suppression may be related to increased risk for accidents after alcohol ingestion. The same dose of alcohol that suppressed the MMN left intact selective attention and conscious “target” detection, as reflected by the processing negativity and P3 deflections, thus suggesting that the automatic functions of human information processing are more sensitive to alcohol than the controlled, attentional functions.