Why We Like to Drink: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of the Rewarding and Anxiolytic Effects of Alcohol

• Published in: The Journal of neuroscience Vol. 28; no. 18; pp. 4583 - 4591
• Main Authors: Gilman, Jodi M, Ramchandani, Vijay A, Davis, Megan B, Bjork, James M, Hommer, Daniel W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Soc Neuroscience 30.04.2008; Society for Neuroscience
• Subjects: Adult; Alcoholic Intoxication - drug therapy; Alcoholic Intoxication - etiology; Alcoholic Intoxication - pathology; Alcoholic Intoxication - psychology; Alcohols - administration & dosage; Analysis of Variance; Anti-Anxiety Agents - administration & dosage; Brain Mapping; Facial Expression; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Linear Models; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Oxygen - blood; Photic Stimulation - methods; Reward; Surveys and Questionnaires

People typically drink alcohol to induce euphoria or reduce anxiety, and they frequently drink in social settings, yet the effect of alcohol on human brain circuits involved in reward and emotion has been explored only sparingly. We administered alcohol intravenously to social drinkers while brain r...