GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE BRAIN - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF HUMANALCOHOLISM

Gender differences in alcohol intake and response to alcohol may be in fluenced by basic variations in the organization and modulation of mal e and female brains. Although a number of genetic, social, environment al, and metabolic factors have been proposed to explain the gender dif ferences observed in risk for alcoholism, alcohol intake, and medical consequences of excessive alcohol intake, very little attention has be en given to the role of gender differences in the brain regarding alco hol use. Recent evidence documents the influence of neurosteroids on n eurotransmitter activity in the brain and the impact of alcohol on neu rosteroid levels. Neurosteroids are found in different levels in males and females during development and throughout life, depending on fact ors such as age, stage of development, estrous and menstrual cycles, a nd stress. This study discusses the hypothesis that many of the gender differences observed concerning alcohol use and misuse are determined by gender differences in the brain, which in turn differentially infl uence the behavioral and neurochemical responses of males and females to alcohol.