Chapter 6 Flashcards
How does fermentation work
Yeast consumes sugars which then lets out waste (ethanol and carbon dioxide)
What is the max concentration of alcohol without distillation
10-15%
Why does distillation work
Alcohols boiling point is lower than water, so by boiling it you can collect alcohol vapours and direct it into a separate container
The measurement of alcohol in the body
Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) or Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
IS alcohol a depressant or a stimulant
trick question. it is both
At low doses it looks more like a stimulant and at high doses it looks more like a depressant
at the _____ dose of alcohol (0.03) we see relaxation, happiness, and mild motor impairment.
lowest
true or false: you absorb alcohol faster than you eliminate it
false, the rate is relatively equal
how does alcohol effect sleep
it induces sleep so time to fall asleep is decreased, but there are more disturbances and early waking
why does carbonation facilitate alcohol
the gas expands your stomach, tricking it into thinking its full. this triggers gastric emptying and sends it to the intestines, thus skipping part of the metabolic process
what is the primary alcohol metabolic pathway
the one that goes alcohol -> alcohol dehydrogenase -> acetaldehyde ->aldehyde dehydrogenase -> acetate
which metabolic pathway has a larger role in heavy drinkers
the microsomal ethanol oxidising system (MEOS). in a casual drinker it does about 10-15% of the job, but for a heavy/frequent drinker it begins doing more of the work
why is antabuse still effective if most breakdown is down by the MEOS system in a heavy drinker
you still end up with acetaldehyde like with the primary system, its just that the first step is different
Alcohol is an antagonist for which receptor
NMDA glutamate receptors
____ (receptor) is associated with memory and anxiety processsing
NMDA
“The brain creates more receptors while they are being blocked due to opponent process theory, and then when the effect ends there are extra receptors” this describes how NMDA causes what from alcohol
withdrawal effects
Alcohol is an agonist for which three receptors
- Serotonin
- GABAa
- Mu opioid receptor
Name the receptors that are directly targeted by alcohol and briefly describe
whether alcohol’s action at each contributes to an increase or decrease in neural activity (i.e. excitatory vs. inhibitory effect)
- Antagonist for NMDA Glutamate, having an inhibitory effect. it blocks nmda, decreasing anxiety
- Agonist for serotonin having an excitatory effect and stimulating dopamine release in nucleus accumbens. NOTE THAT THIS ALSO DEPENDS ON CHRONIC ADMIN OR NOT
- Agonist for GABAa, having an inhibitory effect (remember GABA is inhibitory), but also increases dopamine in NA so is partially excitatory
- Agonist for Mu opioid receptor, having an inhibitory effect as Mu is an inhibitory receptor
which neurotransmitter may downregulate from chronic alcohol consumption
GABA
PET shows that acute alcohol administration _____ (increase/decrease) ____ (inhib/excit) effect of serotonin, but chronic administration _____ (increase/decrease) it
Acute admin increases excitatory effect, chronic admin decreases it
Why doess alcohol lead to increased blood pressure
it alter monoamine oxidase, which means theres less enzymes to break down monoamines like norepinephrine
Describe three factors that facilitate the absorption of alcohol
- being on antihistamines increases BAL
- carbonation (tricking stomach, emptying)
- empty stomach or not (eating increases production of enzymes + food can absorb some)
true or false: blocking serotonin blocks alcohols effects
false. it blocks SOME but not all
whats the difference between en bloc blackouts and greyouts
in grey outs, memory is stored but it is harder to recall later, but for en bloc blackouts no memory trace is ever laid down
what causes en bloc blackouts
sudden increase in BAL, blocking NMDA receptors and therefore preventing the encoding of info
Releasing behaviour because you are blocking the blocking of behaviour
disinhibition
what was the effect of alcohol in the Go-Stop task
no interference for the go signal, but subjects had a harder time withholding responses for the stop signal
the discriminative properties of alcohol can be blocked by ____
serotonin3 blockers
NOT dopamine D2
which type of withdrawal symptoms occur at about 8-12 hours and can last up to 48
early minor symptoms
early minor withdrawal is characterised by:
- tremors
- agitation
- cramps
etc.
ALL RELATED TO INCREASED BRAIN ACTIVITY
late major withdrawal is characterised by:
- disorientation
- hallucinations
- seizures
possible death
ALL RELATED TO INCREASED BRAIN ACTIVVITY
what happens when alcohol is made freely available to rodents
they usually avoid consuming it in quantities that will cause obvious intoxication or physical dependence
how is alcohols effects on sleep different between alcoholics and non-alcoholics
for non-alcoholics, it does increase quality and quantity of non-REM sleep for the first half of the night. for alcoholics, however, severe insomnia is often reported
how does alcohol effect movement and coordination
consumption decreases blood flow to cerebellum and effects the vestibular system
why does alcohol make someone feel warmer
it dilates capillaries, leading to more blood flow to the skin making the skin feel warmer
it takes more blood from your core, however, which means youre actually more at risk for hypothermia
what is hormesis
when substances that are physiologically toxic at high doses can be beneficial at low doses
what is alcohols effect on sexuality
increases interest, but decreases arousal
for males, it increases duration of erection but for females it reduces genital arousal
what is the condition sometimes caused in heavy, prolonged drinkers that causes damage to the brains temporal lobe from thiamin deficiency
wernicke-korsakoff’s syndrome
chronic alcohol consumption can lead to degeneration of the heart muscle called:
alcoholic cardiomyopathy
