Michael Marxen1,2, Gabriela Gan1,2,
Christine Monika Zimmermann1,2, Maximilian Pilhatsch1,2,
Ulrich S. Zimmermann1, Matthias Guenther3,4, Michael N.
Smolka1,2
1Department of Psychiatry
& Psychotherapy, Technische Universitt Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 2Neuroimaging
Center, Technische Universitt Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 3Fraunhofer
MEVIS-Institute for Medical Image Computing, Bremen, Germany; 4Faculty
of Physics & Electronics, Universitt Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Perfusion changes (rCBF) during a 15 min. alcohol infusion up to a target alcohol concentration of 0.06 % were studied in 5 subjects using a pulsed arterial spin labelling technique with 3D GRASE readout. 5-25% changes in global gray matter perfusion were observed, which are above the level of change found with a placebo. Increases were seen in most of the brain, especially superiorly. Local decreases were also found in inferior regions such as the medial temporal lobe. The observed changes need to be accounted for in functional BOLD fMRI studies.
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