Alcohol related car accidents take a person’s life every 30 minutes in the United States. I chose this article because recently I had a friend who was drinking and driving and had an accident and almost died because of it. Drinking and driving, while we all know the dangers of it, is very common in college populations and all other populations. People think that if they don’t feel intoxicated they can still function one hundred percent. This study shows differently. This article is about research done to determine the relationships between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and cognitive performance. The first aim of the study was to test whether subjective perceptions of intoxication changed with declining BACs. The second aim of the study was to identify the extent to which acute toxicity operates ones cognitive functioning. Twenty participants were recruited from a university. These participants were social drinkers between the ages of 21 and 25 years. To find ones perception of how intoxicated they were, the researchers developed a VAS. This VAS had a horizontal line on it with the words “how intoxicated do you feel right now?” above it. The highest being the most intoxicated ever felt in life and the lowest being the least intoxicated ever felt in life. A blank VAS was given at each time of testing perception. To test for cognitive performance, a GMLT was given. The GMLT was a computer based maze task where the participants had to solve the hidden maze by tapping on squares. Blood alcohol concentration levels were measured by the standardized breathalyzer. The researchers found that subjects perception of how intoxicated they were did significantly recover with the declining BAC. They also found that accuracy of executive functions did not improve with ones perception of how intoxicated they were. Subjects remained impaired on higher order cognitive functions even as their BAC levels were declining. This research goes to show that no matter how intoxicated you think you are or are not, you still can’t cognitively perform to your best after consuming alcohol.
Cromer, Jennifer R., Cromer, Jason A., Maruff, Paul., Snyder, Peter J.,Perception of alcohol intoxication shows acute tolerance while executive functions remain impaired. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol 18(4), Aug 2010, 329-339. doi: 10.1037/a0019591
clinical journal
ReplyDelete