Alcohol affects brain functional connectivity and its coupling with behavior: greater effects in male heavy drinkers.

ABSTRACT: Acute and chronic alcohol exposure significantly affect behavior but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here, we used functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping to study alcohol-related changes in resting brain activity and their association with behavior. Heavy drinkers (HD, N=16, 16 males) and normal controls (NM, N=24, 14 males) were tested after placebo and after acute alcohol administration. Group comparisons showed that NM had higher FCD in visual and prefrontal cortices, default mode network regions and thalamus, while HD had higher FCD in cerebellum. Acute alcohol significantly increased FCD within the thalamus, impaired cognitive and motor functions, and affected self-reports of mood/drug effects in both groups. Partial least squares regressi

SUBMITTER: Shokri-Kojori E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5138152 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature