INFLUENCE OF ACETALDEHYDE ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE SHORTLY AFTER INGESTING ETHANOL

The perceptive-motor and cognitive impairment observed after the acute ingestion of ethanol has been attributed to four main molecular mecha nisms by means of which the central nervous system works. These are, t he sedative effects of alcohol related to the GABAergic system (GABA(A )); the depressant effect of the adenosine-acetate system; anaesthetic effects, which have been related to the affinity of ethanol for the l ipidic parts of the cellular membrane; and the possibility that alcoho l can act as an antagonist of NMDA receptors. Our study shows that ace taldehyde is also important in the execution of tasks. Shortly after c onsuming 1 g kg(-1) of alcohol, 20 young men and 19 young women showed a severe deterioration in cognitive performance, assessed by Benton's test. There was a U-shaped relationship between the deterioration obs erved and the rate of clearance of alcohol (p = 0.037). This is interp reted as a sign of the interaction between the sedation produced by th e ethanol and the excitation provoked by the acetaldehyde generated in the metabolic process.