New brain imaging research published this week shows that, after consuming alcohol, social drinkers had decreased sensitivity in brain regions involved in detecting threats, and increased activity in brain regions involved in reward
he first human brain imaging study of alcohol's effect on the response of neuronal circuits to threatening stimuli
The key finding of this study is that after alcohol exposure, threat-detecting brain circuits can't tell the difference between a threatening and non-threatening social stimulus
Comparing brain activity, Gilman's team found that when participants received the placebo infusion, fearful facial expressions spurred greater activity than neutral expressions in the amygdala, insula, and parahippocampal gyrus--brain regions involved in fear and avoidance--as well as in the brain's visual system. However, these regions showed no increased brain activity when the participants were intoxicated.
clipped from: www.sciencedaily.com