Lancaster F E
Division of Basic Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1994 Jun;18(3):740-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1994.tb00940.x.
Gender differences in alcohol intake and response to alcohol may be influenced by basic variations in the organization and modulation of male and female brains. Although a number of genetic, social, environmental, and metabolic factors have been proposed to explain the gender differences observed in risk for alcoholism, alcohol intake, and medical consequences of excessive alcohol intake, very little attention has been given to the role of gender differences in the brain regarding alcohol use. Recent evidence documents the influence of neurosteroids on neurotransmitter activity in the brain and the impact of alcohol on neurosteroid levels. Neurosteroids are found in different levels in males and females during development and throughout life, depending on factors such as age, stage of development, estrous and menstrual cycles, and stress. This study discusses the hypothesis that many of the gender differences observed concerning alcohol use and misuse are determined by gender differences in the brain, which in turn differentially influence the behavioral and neurochemical responses of males and females to alcohol.
酒精摄入量及对酒精反应的性别差异可能受男性和女性大脑组织与调节方面的基本差异影响。尽管已提出多种遗传、社会、环境和代谢因素来解释在酒精成瘾风险、酒精摄入量以及过量饮酒的医学后果中观察到的性别差异，但关于大脑中性别差异在酒精使用方面的作用却很少受到关注。最近的证据证明了神经甾体对大脑中神经递质活性的影响以及酒精对神经甾体水平的影响。在发育过程及一生中，男性和女性体内神经甾体的含量处于不同水平，这取决于年龄、发育阶段、发情周期和月经周期以及压力等因素。本研究探讨了这样一种假说，即观察到的许多与酒精使用和滥用有关的性别差异是由大脑中的性别差异决定的，而大脑中的性别差异反过来又会对男性和女性对酒精的行为及神经化学反应产生不同影响。
