(Exam 3) Alcohol Flashcards
what is the main ingredient in alcohol?
ethyl alcohol/ethanol/ETOH
what kind of drug is alcohol?
a psychoactive drug
what are the effects of alcohol?
similar to sedative-hypnotic compounds
what are the uses of alcohol?
recreational uses
relationship between alcohol and dependence?
strong association
how/where/how fast is alcohol absorbed?
rapidly in stomach, small intestine
what interaction affects the dose of alcohol ?
food intake
what is the distribution of alcohol ?
freely crosses BBB and placenta
what metabolizes alcohol ?
liver 95%, 5% excreted unchanged from lungs
how quickly is alcohol metabolized?
1/3 - 1/2 oz. of pure alcohol per hour
what does BAC stand for?
blood alcohol concentration
alcohol affects synaptic activity of which 2 main NTs?
Glut + GABA
what does alcohol do to Glut?
inhibits NMDA R activity; NMDA R antagonist
what does alcohol do to GABA?
activates GABA; sedation/relaxation, impaired cognitive + motor skills, anxiolytic; activated DA pathway (VTA to NAc)
what are the respiratory effects?
depression at high doses; potentially lethal
what can withdrawal cause?
seizures
what is the effect on blood circulation?
dilation of blood vessels in the skin (feel warm, but actually body heat is lost)
what is the effect on sleep?
induces sleep, but suppresses REM; may cause early awakening
is the drug-induced dementia reversible?
yes
what kind of damage does excessive drinking cause?
liver damage (cirrhosis) + digestive system damage (pancreatitis, chronic gastritis) + destruction of nerve cells (alcohol dementia: korsakoff’s syndrome)
what is metabolic tolerance?
when the liver enzyme’s increase
what is functional tolerance
neuronal adaptation, behavioral only; not tolerant to memory/cognitive effects
what is associative tolerance
environment-related tolerance
when does blackout occur?
BAC around 0.25
what location’s activity is suppressed to affect memory? why?
hippocampus; blocks NMDA Rs
what are fragmentary blackouts?
bits and pieces remembered, little is encoded
what is memory en bloc?
nothing is remembered
when can withdrawal (WD) develop?
can develop in hours
detox involves what?
blocking seizures through benzos + AEDs
what is kindling? what does it cause?
repeat alc WD; increase in severity/likelihood of seizure
what is delirium tremens?
WD syndrome involving tremors, hallucinations, psychomotor agitation, confusion, sleep disruption
what other psychopathologies is alcoholism associated with?
MDD, anxiety disorder, impulse control problem
therapy goals for alcohol abuse + dependence
1) treat/prevent WD symptoms
2) reduce consumption/cravings
3) prevent relapse
4) treat associated psychological problems
what drugs prevent relapse?
alcohol-sensitizing drugs, opioid antagonists
how does alcohol effect the cortex?
depresses behavioral inhibitory centers, slows perception processing of sensory information, inhibits thought processes
what does alcohol do to DA?
increases DA levels
alcohol effect on corpus callosum?
slows information transfer between hemispheres; most noticeable in speech issues
effect on cerebellum?
affects movement and balance; swagger, falling down, poor motor control
effect on hypothalamus + pituitary
increases hormone release, leads to increased desire + arousal, decreased activity in cortex decreased ability to perform, decrease memory formation
effect on brainstem
high BAC decreases respiration + body temp, can lead to death
long term effects of heavy drinking (in order of first to last)
memory, judgment, perception, higher thought abilities
