alcohol 1 Flashcards
how can harm associated with alcohol be categorised?
physical harm
dependence
social harm
identify ways alcohol can cause physical harm
physical harm to users
- infection
- acute alcohol intoxication injuries
is alcohol more harmful to the user or to others (Nutt et al. (2010)
more harmful to user
but causes significant harm to others
identify aspects of acute psychological effects of alcohol
- decreased tension/anxiety (anxiolysis)
- impaired memory (amnesia, black out)
identify aspects of psychological effects of chronic (excessive) alcohol consumption
- neuropharmacological adaptations (withdrawal, alcohol dependence)
- severe and chronic cognitive deficits due to brain shrinkage
what is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?
brain shrinkage due to execssive alcohol consumption
outline the primary neuropharmacological targets of alcohol (for non-specific events)
neuropharmacology = area of study that focus on action of drugs on the nervous system
- interactions with lipid bilayer
- occurs mostly at high levels of alcohol concentration
outline the primary neuropharmacological targets of alcohol (for specific events)
- interactions with ligand-gated ion channels (neurotransmitter receptors)
- interactions with voltage-gated ion channels
- this is achieved by common alcohol consumption
what do the primary targets of alcohol include?
- neurotransmitter receptors
- voltage-gated ion channels
- this is where alcohol first acts
- this triggers cascade of synaptic events involving many neurotransmitters
overall, what does acute alcohol tend to dampen?
- dampen neural activity
- e.g.: stimulation of inhibitory GABA receptors
identify the variables that impact the psychological effects of alcohol
- environmental variables (social cues
- mood, personality factors
- age and sex
- exposure to other drugs
- dose of alcohol
- rate of ingestion
- type of alcohol ingested
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.02-.03)
- minimal effects
- slight relaxation
- mild mood elevation
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.05-.06)
- decreased alertness
- relaxed inhibitions
- mildly impaired judgement
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.08-.10)
- .08 = legal driving limit
- loss of motor coordination
- slower reaction times
- less caution
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.14-.16)
- major impairment in mental and physical control
- slurred speech
- exaggerated emotions
- blurred vision
- serious loss of judgement
- large increases in reaction time
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.20-.25)
- staggering
- inability to walk or dress without help
- tears or rage
- mental confusion
- double vision
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.30)
- near-unconscious
- unaware of surroundings
describe the effects blood alcohol concentration has on behaviour
(.45)
- coma
- lethal for 50% of population
how is alcohol similar to classical anxiolytics?
- alcohol acts as indirect agonist at GABA receptors
- this enhances response of major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA
- reducing anxiety
explain comorbidity of anxiety disorders and alcohol abuse
- there is strong comorbidity (having two illnesses at same time) between anxiety and alcohol
- suggests people who have form of anxiety disorder may self-medicate with alcohol
- more likely to suffer from alcohol abuse from self-medicating
what do animal studies show about anxiety and alcohol?
- alcohol relatively consistently reduces measures of anxiety in rats
outline cat odour avoidance test study in beer drinking rats
- beer ingested by rats leads to rats becoming more anxious
- testing anxiety in rats
- cat odour presented and measured whether rat would explore this area or not
- found that when rats consumed more alcohol, they took longer to approach cat odour
outline elevated plus maze test study in beer drinking rats
- when alcohol consumed, rats spent longer on open spaces (more dangerous)
- shows becoming less anxious
