Acute Effects Of Alcohol On Memory-related Brain Regions Of Healthy Young Adults:A Multi-modality MRI Study

ObjectiveThree-dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling(3D PCASL)and asymmetric spine echo-based echo plane imaging(ASE EPI)were used to study the effects of different doses of acute alcohol on cerebral blood flow and oxygen extraction fraction(OEF)in the memory-related brain regions of healthy young people,and the relationship between cerebral blood flow(CBF),OEF,venous cerebral blood volume(vCBV)and reversible lateral relaxation rate(R2*)in memory-related brain regions of healthy volunteers was analyzed after different doses of acute alcohol consumption.MethodTwenty-nine young volunteers(15 males and 14 females,the range of age is 23 to 36 years old,mean age 25.7 years old)were fed with different doses of Chinese alcohol(Guan gong fang,42%vol.500ml)(Hubei Guan gong fang liquor industry Co.,Ltd).After drinking,blood alcohol concentration(BAC)was measured.BAC=0.04%(40 mg/100 ml)was the low concentration group,BAC=0.06%(60mg/100ml)was the medium concentration group,and BAC=0.08%(80mg/100ml)was the high concentration group,respectively.All subjects were examined by the memory function test and brain MRI before drinking and 30 minutes after drinking.The data before drinking was as the control group.3D PCASL and ASE EPI data were post-processed at GE AW4.6 workstation,and the CBF,OEF,vCBV and R2*of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,amygdala and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere were compared before and after drinking respectively.The CBF values,OEF values,vCBV values and R2*values of memory function related brain areas were expressed as mean ± standard deviation(x±s),single factor analysis of variance(ANOVA)was used to compare the values before and after drinking,different dose groups and different sex groups after drinking,and the LSD-t test was used for multiple comparisons between multiple samples.P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant different.Results(1)Compared with pre-drinking,30 minutes after drinking,the CBF of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,amygdala increased(P<0.05),and the CBF of bilateral cerebellar hemisphere decreased(P<0.05).After different doses of drinking,the overall mean of CBF of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,amygdala and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere were not equal,the difference of CBF was statistically significant(P<0.05).The difference of CBF within mild,moderate and severe dose groups was statistically significant(P<0.05)by multiple comparison of LSD-t test.(2)Compared with pre-drinking,30 minutes after drinking,the OEF and vCBV of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,amygdala decreased(P<0.05),and the OEF and vCBV of bilateral cerebellar hemisphere increased(P<0.05).After different doses of drinking,the overall mean of OEF and vCBV of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere were not equal,the difference of OEF and vCBV was statistically significant(P<0.05).ConclusionAfter different doses of drinking,the changes of cerebral blood flow,oxygen extraction fraction and venous cerebral blood volume of left middle frontal gyrus,parietal lobe,occipital cortex,bilateral cingulate gyrus,hippocampus,amygdala and bilateral cerebellar hemisphere were helpful in explaining the brain blood flow regulation and brain metabolism information after drinking,and it is significant to reveal the mechanism of the effect of alcohol on the memory-related brain regions.