Interestingly, manipulating acetaldehyde concentrations in the brain does not affect alcohol intake in animal models that have consumed alcohol chronically for one to two months, suggesting that alternative mechanisms sustain long-term alcohol intake (143, 144). Some studies have also implicated salsinolol, a condensation product of acetaldehyde and dopamine, in the central effects of alcohol (142). Although salsolinol has been identified in the human brain (145), technical limitations have hindered efforts to determine the contributions of brain-generated acetaldehyde and salsolinol to human alcohol consumption. Therefore, the roles of these metabolites in human alcohol intake remain unclear.
