Search resultsAlcohol's interactions with circadian rhythms - A focus on body temperature
Title
Alcohol's interactions with circadian rhythms - A focus on body temperature
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2001
Authors
Journal
Alcohol Research and Health
Volume
25
Issue
2
Pagination
94 - 100
Date published
2001
ISBN
0090838X (ISSN)
Keywords
alcohol, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Animal, Animals, AOD preference, AOD sensitivity, Biological Clocks, biological rhythm, body temperature, Body Temperature Regulation, circadian rhythm, drinking behavior, drug effect, Ethanol, human, Humans, Hyperthermia, Hypothermia, pathophysiology, Pharmacokinetics, Physiological AODE (effects of alcohol or other drug [AOD] use, abuse, and dependence), physiology, review, Thermoregulation, Time of day
Abstract
The complex interaction between alcohol and the body's circadian rhythm has become a rapidly expanding area in chronopharmacology. This area has key implications for the field of alcohol research, because understanding alcohol's effects on the body's internal clock will aid scientists in designing medications and behavioral interventions for treating alcohol abuse and dependence. A number of studies provide evidence that alcohol sensitivity and preference vary with circadian timing. However, only a few studies support alcohol's ability to influence the circadian phase directly. This review focuses on studies examining how alcohol and the body's circadian rhythm interact, using body temperature as an index of circadian rhythm function. Though the research is limited, findings indicate that alcohol sensitivity and preference for drinking do indeed appear to vary with circadian timing and that alcohol may act directly on the central pacemaker to alter circadian functioning.