Alcohol can have different effects on the behavior of men and women, changing the neural processes involved in decision making. This conclusion was reached by researchers at Texas University at El Paso (UTEP), as reported by Earth.com .
Dr. Alexander Friedmann's team developed a special experimental model Record (Reward Cost Decision-Making) to investigate the impact of alcohol on the choice of males and females of laboratory rats.
In the first stage of the experiment, the rats were offered only sweetened water, and all animals, without exception, chose the sweetiest option. But the situation changed after alcohol was added to the drink.
The impact of alcohol on decision making
Rats males began to prefer drinks with higher alcohol content, even if they were less attractive in taste. Moreover, the change of preferences was stored for up to two months after alcohol is completed.
Instead, the females, although they consumed more alcohol in terms of body weight, remained with their original preferences. This indicates that alcohol did not affect their decision -making model.
"Our results show gender-specific vulnerability to the effects of alcohol-at least by the example of laboratory rats," Dr. Friedman said. According to him, such differences can explain why men are more likely to be impulsive or risky in a state of intoxication.
Possible consequences for medicine
The Dean of the UTEP Scientific College, Robert Kirken, emphasized the importance of discovery: this knowledge can contribute to the development of individualized approaches to the prevention and treatment of alcohol addiction. Alcohol, as the study shows, does not universally change behavior, and the effects depend, in particular, on the gender and features of the brain structure.
These conclusions can be important for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of dependence, as well as to study the impact of alcohol on daily solutions - in everyday life, at work or in social interactions.
