know exactly which aspects of the complex phenomena resulting in body sway are affected by alcohol in order to target the specific brain systems mediating these aspects. Recent studies have demonstrated that static balance changes caused by acute alcohol are mainly due to a low frequency (0-1 Hz) transversal sway seen when the subject has his or her eyes closed and that the acute response differs from the postural sway seen in some alcoholics (Ando et al. 2008). It has also been demonstrated that alcohol does not cause changes in mean center of foot pressure or frequency (Noda et al. 2004) and that it appears to affect more the amount of body sway rather than the displacement or periodicity of the center of foot pressure (Noda et al. 2005). Significant gender differences have also been found in these body sway parameters (Kitabayashi et al. 2004). If these sophisticated methods could be applied to the at-risk human populations, and if a more precise understanding of the neural source of the deficits could be identified, then perhaps the mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced body sway could be further elucidated in a well-chosen rodent assay.
