Taste of Beer Minus Effects of Alcohol Can Trigger Dopamine, Higher in Those with Family History of Alcoholism

A new study shows that drinking beverages that taste like beer but do not contain alcohol can trigger a dopamine release in the brain that is commonly associated with drinking and other drug abuse, according to Indiana University School of Medicine researchers.

With positron emission tomography (PET), researchers tested 49 men with two scans. First they tasted beer and then they tasted Gatorade, looking for evidence of increased levels of dopamine, a brain neurotransmitter long associated with alcohol and other drugs of abuse.

Various scans showed a significantly increased level of dopamine activity following the taste of beer than the sports drink, and this effect was much greater among those with a family history of alcoholism.

"We believe this is the first experiment in humans to show that the taste of an alcoholic drink alone, without any intoxicating effect from the alcohol, can elicit this dopamine activity in the brain's reward centers," said David A. Kareken, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the IU School of Medicine and the deputy director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center, according to Science Daily. 

The stronger effect in participants with close alcoholic relatives suggests that the release of dopamine in response to such alcohol-related cues may be an inherited risk factor for alcoholism, said Kareken.

Researchers believe that dopamine plays a critical role in the consumption of various drugs of abuse, including differing interpretations of the neurotransmitter's role. Certain senses that may trigger a relapse in an alcoholic or drug abuser ranging from tastes to smell have long been known to spark cravings in those going through the recovery process.

The study participants received a very small amount of their preferred beer -- 15 milliliters -- over a 15-minute time period, enabling them to taste the beer without resulting in any detectable blood alcohol level or intoxicating effect, according to Science Daily.

Using a PET scanning compound that targets dopamine receptors in the brain, the researchers were able to assess changes in dopamine levels occurring after the participants tasted the liquids.

In addition to the PET scan results, participants reported an increased beer craving after tasting beer, without similar responses after tasting the sports drink -- even though many thought the Gatorade actually tasted better, said Brandon G. Oberlin, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow and first author of the paper.

Results of the study were published online this month in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.