Sanz-Martin Araceli, Hernández-González Marisela, Guevara Miguel A, Santana Gloria, Gumá-Díaz Emilio, Amezcua Claudia
Institute of Neurosciences, University of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Behav Pharmacol. 2012 Oct;23(7):637-49. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0b013e3283584748.
It is well known that the metabolism of alcohol and cognitive functions can vary during the menstrual cycle. Also, both alcohol ingestion and hormonal variations during menstruation have been associated with characteristic changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether EEG activity during the performance of the Tower of London (TOL) task is affected by previous ingestion of alcohol and whether these EEG patterns vary in relation to different phases of the menstrual cycle. For this purpose, female participants consumed a moderate dose of alcohol or placebo during the follicular and early luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and then, 35 min after liquid ingestion, EEG activity was recorded during the performance of TOL. A deleterious effect of alcohol on TOL performance was potentiated in the follicular phase, related to a higher α1 relative power, probably as a result of the low progesterone levels characteristic of this menstrual phase. These data show the feasibility of examining the interaction of alcohol and menstrual cycle phases on cognitive performance by means of EEG recording, and contribute toward a better understanding of the brain mechanisms that underlie the cognitive changes that occur during the menstrual cycle under the effects of alcohol.
众所周知，酒精代谢和认知功能在月经周期中会有所变化。此外，月经期间饮酒和激素变化都与脑电图（EEG）活动的特征性变化有关。本研究的目的是确定伦敦塔（TOL）任务执行期间的EEG活动是否受到先前饮酒的影响，以及这些EEG模式是否因月经周期的不同阶段而有所变化。为此，女性参与者在月经周期的卵泡期和黄体早期饮用中等剂量的酒精或安慰剂，然后在摄入液体35分钟后，在执行TOL任务期间记录EEG活动。在卵泡期，酒精对TOL任务表现的有害影响增强，这与较高的α1相对功率有关，这可能是由于该月经周期阶段孕酮水平较低所致。这些数据表明，通过EEG记录来研究酒精与月经周期阶段对认知表现的相互作用是可行的，并有助于更好地理解在酒精作用下月经周期中发生的认知变化背后的脑机制。
