Effects of a Family History of Alcoholism on Autonomic,Neuroendocrine, and Subjective Reactions to Alcohol

The authors evaluated two groups of young nonalcoholic men with (n = 14) and without (n = 25) a family history of alcoholism (FH+ and FH?) in a single laboratory session, During the session, subjects drank either an alcoholic (0.5 ml/kg) or a nonalcoholic beverage. Neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, electrodermal, and self-report data were collected at multiple time points before and after beverage consumption. The data analysis revealed time-related changes in plasma cortisol, finger temperature, skin conductance level, and several of the self-report measures. Beverage-related changes were seen in finger temperature, plasma glucose, and self-reported fatigue. The only dependent measure to discriminate FH+ and FH- groups was plasma cortisol, which exhibited a more rapid decline over time in the FH+ group. The FH+/FH- group difference in plasma cortisol was neither enhanced nor reduced by alcohol.