Twenty young, healthy volunteers (12 men, 8 women, mean±SD age = 25.3±4.4 years) successfully completed all sessions of the experiment. All participants were right-handed non-smokers and reported no medical, alcohol- or drug-related problems and no family history of alcohol or drug abuse in their first or second degree relatives. None used any medication at the time of the study and none reported any previous head-injuries or had any MRI contraindications. Subjects reported drinking alcohol occasionally (2.0±1.2 times a week) and in low-to-moderate amounts (2.6±1.1 drinks per occasion) in social settings. No alcoholism-related symptoms were detected with the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, SMAST [64]. Subjects were reimbursed for their participation.
