Abstract Background An understanding of alcohol’s acute neural effects could augment our knowledge of mechanisms underlying alcohol-related cognitive/motor impairment and inform interventions for addiction. Focusing on studies employing event-related brain potential (ERP) methods, which offer a direct measurement of neural activity in functionally well-characterized brain networks, we present the first meta-analysis to explore acute effects of alcohol on the human brain. Methods Databases were searched for randomized laboratory alcohol-administration trials assessing brain activity using ERPs. Hedges g coefficients were pooled using 3-level random-effects meta-regression. Results Sixty independent randomized controlled trials met inclusion (total N= 2,149). Alcohol’s effects varied significantly across neural systems, with alcohol leading to reductions in ERP components linked with attention (P3b), g=-.40, 95%CI[-.50,-.29], automatic auditory processing (MMN), g=-.44, 95%CI[-.66,-.22], and performance monitoring (ERN), g=-.56, 95%CI[-.79,-.33]. These effects were moderated by alcohol dose, emerging as significant at doses as low as .026% BAC and increasing to moderate/large at .12%. In contrast, irrespective of dose, relatively small or non-significant alcohol effects emerged in other processing domains, including those linked to executive control (N2b) and stimulus classification (N2c). Conclusions Contrary to traditional conceptualizations of alcohol as a “dirty drug” with broad CNS-depressant effects, results instead support accounts positing targeted alcohol effects in specific processing domains. By identifying alcohol effects on brain systems involved in performance monitoring and attention, results move towards the identification of mechanisms underlying alcohol-related impairment as well as factors reinforcing addiction.

中文翻译：

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酒精和神经动力学：急性酒精对事件相关脑电位影响的荟萃分析

摘要背景 了解酒精的急性神经影响可以增加我们对酒精相关认知/运动障碍的潜在机制的了解，并为成瘾干预提供信息。我们专注于采用事件相关脑电位 (ERP) 方法的研究，该方法可直接测量功能良好的大脑网络中的神经活动，我们提出了第一个荟萃分析来探索酒精对人类大脑的急性影响。方法 在数据库中搜索使用 ERP 评估大脑活动的随机实验室酒精给药试验。对冲 g 系数使用 3 级随机效应元回归进行汇总。结果 60 项独立随机对照试验符合纳入标准（总 N=2,149）。酒精对神经系统的影响差异很大，酒精导致与注意力相关的 ERP 成分减少 (P3b), g=-.40, 95%CI[-.50,-.29], 自动听觉处理 (MMN), g=-.44, 95%CI [-.66,-.22] 和性能监控 (ERN), g=-.56, 95%CI[-.79,-.33]。这些影响被酒精剂量所缓和，在低至 0.026% BAC 的剂量下表现出显着性，并在 0.12% 时增加至中等/大量。相比之下，无论剂量如何，在其他处理领域出现了相对较小或不显着的酒精效应，包括与执行控制 (N2b) 和刺激分类 (N2c) 相关的那些。结论 与将酒精作为具有广泛 CNS 抑制作用的“肮脏药物”的传统概念化相反，结果支持假设特定加工领域中的目标酒精作用的帐户。