A recent beer brain study suggests that the taste of beer trigger the brain to release Dopamine. The result of the beer brain study was published online at Neuropsychopharmacology journal on Monday, April 15, 2013.
Researchers conducted a study on 49 male volunteers whom they asked to take a little amount of any beer they want. To compare their result, the researchers asked their volunteers to take sports drink or water.
Using Positron Emission Tomography, the brains of the volunteers were scanned. A 3D image of the brain showed that their was a higher level of increases in dopamine after the men tasted beer compared with tasting the sports drink or water.
Neuroscientist David Kareken from Indiana University School of Medicine explained that "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."
Dopamine is a chemical from the brain that is associated with pleasure. The brain chemical is also being linked to sensory cues — such as tastes, smells or the sight of a bar — that elicit cravings to drink.
Professor Peter Anderson from Newcastle University concludes that "This paper demonstrates that taste alone impacts on the brain functions associated with desire." Anderson noted that “With regard to the family history effect, this is quite difficult to assess and know what it means so we can’t be too sure of an effect or how strong it might be."
Anderson also believe that alcohol may still have an effect on the brain and not just its taste.
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