4: Alcohol and the CNS Flashcards
Alcohol is (clear / coloured) with a (pleasant / unpleasant) odour.
clear
pleasant
Alcohol is aliphatic - what does this mean?
Forms chains, not aromatic rings
Is alcohol soluble?
Yeah
What is the functional group found in alcohol?
Hydroxyl
-OH
What kind of bonding does the hydroxyl group of ethanol give rise to?
Hydrogen bonding
Does ethanol have any isomers?
No
Ethanol is well absorbed by the ___ route.
oral
20% of ethanol absorption occurs in the ___.
The other 80% occurs in the ___ ___.
stomach
small intestine
Ethanol has the capacity to produce which effect?
General anaesthesia
As the number of carbons in an alcohol molecule increases, the greater their ability to act as a ___ ___.
What is this rule called?
general anaesthetic
Meyer-Overton Rule
Are alcohols used as a general anaesthetic in humans?
No
jesus christ
What is the cut-off point for the general anaesthetic effects of n-alcohols?
Hexanol (6) - pentanol (8)
Then it starts to decrease
What effects does alcohol have in mice?
Loss of righting reflex (can’t adjust to changes from upright)
Ataxia (difficulty walking)
Ethanol affects which two types of neurotransmitter in the CNS?
Excitatory
Inhibitory
Which excitatory neurotransmitter does ethanol affect?
Glutamate
Which inhibitory neurotransmitters are affected by ethanol?
GABA
Glycine
Excitatory neurotransmitters such as ___ allow the entry of ___ ions.
What effect does this have on the membrane potential?
glutamate , sodium
depolarisation
Inhibitory neurotransmitters such as ___ or ___ allow the entry of ___ ions.
What effect does this have on the membrane potential?
GABA or glycine , chloride
hyperpolarisation
Glutamate triggers an ____ action potential.
excitatory
GABA and glycine trigger an ____ action potential.
inhibitory
Ethanol’s effects on excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters is thought to cause one of its main effects, which is ___ ___.
CNS depression
Lots of proteins have cavities specifically “designed” for the binding of ___.
ethanol
What is the drink-drive limit in BAC?
0.05g / 100ml blood
i.e 0.05
(See BAC chart for effects on behaviour at different blood alcohol concentrations.)
