Alcohol dose effects on brain circuits during simulated driving: An fMRI study

Meda, Shashwath A.; Calhoun, Vince D.; Astur, Robert S.; Turner, Beth M.; Ruopp, Kathryn; Pearlson, Godfrey D. · 2009 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20591

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the neural substrates of driving and how they are disrupted by alcohol intoxication, addressing the public health hazard of impaired driving. The researchers utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) combined with a custom-built virtual reality driving simulator to examine dose-dependent effects of alcohol on brain circuits. The study aimed to replicate and extend previous findings by using a higher field strength scanner (3T) and a larger sample to identify specific spatio-temporal disruptions in driving-associated regions. The experimental design involved 40 healthy, right-handed adult moderate social drinkers (20 men, 20 women). Each participant underwent three separate single-blind sessions receiving individualized doses of beverage alcohol to achieve blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of 0% (placebo), 0.05% (moderate), and 0.10% (high). During 3T fMRI scanning, participants performed a simulated driving task involving active driving and passive observation phases. Continuous behavioral measures, such as lane crossings, speed, and steering weave, were recorded. Data were analyzed using two complementary methods: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to isolate spatially independent brain networks, and a conventional General Linear Model (GLM) to assess dose-related functional differences. Results indicated that alcohol significantly impaired driving behavior, with opposite white line crossings and mean speed showing significant dose-dependent linear responses. Neuroimaging analysis revealed that high alcohol doses caused significant reductions in activation in critical regions including the superior, middle, and orbito-frontal gyri, anterior cingulate, primary and supplementary motor areas, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. ICA identified five specific driving-related networks that exhibited significant alcohol-related changes in functional synchrony: cerebellar, orbito-frontal/anterior cingulate, medial frontal-parietal-posterior cingulate (resting state), fronto-basal-temporal, and primary-supplementary motor networks. GLM analysis confirmed these findings and additionally highlighted dose-related decreases in the amygdala and hippocampus/parahippocampus. Furthermore, behavioral factors predicted that poorer performing drivers exhibited greater functional impairment in the fronto-basal-temporal circuit under high alcohol doses. The significance of these findings lies in the demonstration that alcohol, particularly at high doses, disrupts multiple brain circuits essential for motor planning, control, goal-directedness, error monitoring, and memory. The study provides a detailed map of the neural correlates of driving behavior and confirms that alcohol intoxication leads to widespread spatio-temporal disruptions in these critical networks. This work advances the understanding of how alcohol affects complex cognitive and motor tasks, offering insights into the neurobiological basis of driving impairment and potentially informing interventions or safety regulations.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.8-27b-gittensor on 2026-08-23; verification: pending re-verification.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• alcohol