Men are about twice as likely to develop alcoholism than women. Until now, the reason for this difference has been unclear, but a new study finds that dopamine may play an important role. Researchers from both Columbia University and Yale University studied both male and female college-age social drinkers. After having an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, each study participant had a specialized PET (positron emission tomography) scan to measure the amount of alcohol-induced dopamine released in the brain.
Dopamine plays many roles in the brain, but is important because of its pleasurable effects when it is released by indulging in a rewarding experience like sex or drugs. In the study, despite similar consumptions of alcohol, the men in the study had greater dopamine release than women. This dopamine increase was found in the ventral striatum, an area of the brain connected with pleasure, reinforcement and the formation of addiction.
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“In men, increased dopamine release also had a stronger association with subjective positive effects of alcohol intoxication,” said study author Dr. Nina Urban. “This may contribute to the initial reinforcing properties of alcohol and the risk for habit formation.”
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