Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011 Oct;35(10):1831-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01527.x. Epub 2011 Jul 18.
Binge drinking is prevalent during adolescence, and its effect on neurocognitive development is of concern. In adult and adolescent populations, heavy substance use has been associated with decrements in cognitive functioning, particularly on tasks of spatial working memory (SWM). Characterizing the gender-specific influences of heavy episodic drinking on SWM may help elucidate the early functional consequences of drinking on adolescent brain functioning.
Forty binge drinkers (13 females, 27 males) and 55 controls (24 females, 31 males), aged 16 to 19 years, completed neuropsychological testing, substance use interviews, and an SWM task during functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Significant binge drinking status × gender interactions were found (p < 0.05) in 8 brain regions spanning bilateral frontal, anterior cingulate, temporal, and cerebellar cortices. In all regions, female binge drinkers showed less SWM activation than female controls, while male bingers exhibited greater SWM response than male controls. For female binge drinkers, less activation was associated with poorer sustained attention and working memory performances (p < 0.025). For male binge drinkers, greater activation was linked to better spatial performance (p < 0.025).
Binge drinking during adolescence is associated with gender-specific differences in frontal, temporal, and cerebellar brain activation during an SWM task, which in turn relate to cognitive performance. Activation correlates with neuropsychological performance, strengthening the argument that blood oxygen level-dependent activation is affected by alcohol use and is an important indicator of behavioral functioning. Females may be more vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of heavy alcohol use during adolescence, while males may be more resilient to the deleterious effects of binge drinking. Future longitudinal research will examine the significance of SWM brain activation as an early neurocognitive marker of alcohol impact to the brain on future behaviors, such as driving safety, academic performance, and neuropsychological performance.
青少年时期酗酒现象普遍，其对神经认知发育的影响令人关注。在成年和青少年人群中，大量使用物质与认知功能下降有关，尤其是在空间工作记忆（SWM）任务上。描述重度发作性饮酒对 SWM 的性别特异性影响，可能有助于阐明饮酒对青少年大脑功能的早期功能后果。
40 名酗酒者（13 名女性，27 名男性）和 55 名对照者（24 名女性，31 名男性），年龄在 16 至 19 岁之间，完成了神经心理学测试、物质使用访谈和功能磁共振成像期间的 SWM 任务。
在跨越双侧额叶、前扣带回、颞叶和小脑皮质的 8 个脑区，发现了显著的酗酒状态×性别交互作用（p<0.05）。在所有区域中，女性酗酒者的 SWM 激活均低于女性对照者，而男性酗酒者的 SWM 反应则高于男性对照者。对于女性酗酒者，较低的激活与较差的持续注意力和工作记忆表现相关（p<0.025）。对于男性酗酒者，较大的激活与较好的空间表现相关（p<0.025）。
青少年时期的酗酒与 SWM 任务中额叶、颞叶和小脑的脑激活存在性别特异性差异有关，而这种差异又与认知表现有关。激活与神经心理学表现相关，这有力地证明了血氧水平依赖激活受酒精使用的影响，是行为功能的重要指标。女性在青少年时期可能更容易受到重度酒精使用的神经毒性影响，而男性对酗酒的有害影响可能更有抵抗力。未来的纵向研究将检查 SWM 大脑激活作为酒精对大脑影响的早期神经认知标志物的意义，以预测未来的行为，如驾驶安全、学业表现和神经心理学表现。
