Efeitos agudos do etanol em estudantes universitários usuários ocasionais de álcool sobre os constructos das funções executivas: desempenho de dupla tarefa, planejamento e acesso à memória de longo prazo

Abstract

Introduction: Ethanol use is more common among young adults and it`s a substance capable of causing significant damage to the central nervous system, affecting neuromaturational processes directly and consequently, complex cognitive abilities such as executive functions (EF). Thus, knowledge of the acute effects of this substance on the constructs of EF is necessary to profile the cognitive functioning, which may ultimately be affected by the use of this substance. Objective: To investigate the acute effects of ethanol on performance of three elected constructs of executive functions in university students of Juiz de Fora who are occasional users of alcohol. Methods: 45 male subjects, aged between 18 and 30 years who were tested to characterize the sample and then were randomly allocated into three groups of 15 participants: one group whose ethanol dose was 0.6 mg / kg; another group whose dose was 1.0 mg / kg; and the placebo group; all of it was added to 300 ml of chilled alcohol free beer. The specific tests to evaluate the components of EF were performed near the peak absorption of ethanol, about 40 minutes after ingestion. Results: There were differences between groups in the extent of post-breathalyzer test and the three groups were different. There was no significant difference between the results obtained in the other tests. Discussion: These findings corroborate to previous studies with administration of ethanol in human subjects in which no acute effects of consuming alcohol on the constructs of EF were found. Conclusion: The present study was pioneer in Brazil for evaluation of university students in the proposed framework. Further studies are needed with larger numbers of participants, of both sexes, to define the dose of ethanol that is capable of affecting the FE and reproduce laboratory results.