Alcohol-Induced Changes of Extra- and Intracranial Volume Flow

Clinical and animal trials have shown alcohol-induced peripheral vasodilation with a corresponding decrease in systemic arterial blood pressure. Scintigraphic studies have demonstrated conflicting data about the effects of ethanol on autoregulated cerebrovascular hemodynamics. We tested the extra- and intracranial hemodynamic changes induced by alcohol uptake (appr. 1g/kg) in 22 healthy volunteers (14 male, 8 female; mean age 23 years) non-invasively by ultrasonic techniques. We determined almost simultaneously the extracranial blood flow volume in the common (CCA) (n=22) and internal (ICA) (n=11) carotid arteri…