What are the effects of ethanol on the brain?

[corinth]

What are the effects of ethanol on the brain? Our brain (not mine particularly) is fascinating so I Thought this would be an interesting topic

 

[jamesngalveston]

makes you drunk.

 

[corinth]

Thanks JG:

I think I am going to pursue your "ethanol" answer to a previous post first! Ya got me thinking!

 

[shelldon]

if you still have a Doubt The Ethanol can affect the central nervous system, causing states of euphoria, disinhibition, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, delusions (like double or everything moves spontaneously).

 

[JohnT]

I believe that ethanol works its way into the synapses (gaps between nerve cells) and effects the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. The more ethanol you drink, the worse this becomes.

I read in a book somewhere that drinking alcohol can make you silly. Right then an there I decided that I had had enough! No more reading for me!

 

[corinth]

The effect on ethanol on the brain

In many ways, reading about ethanol was far less complicated than me trying to understand S02, Ph or acid titration in winemaking

Ethanol is also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol or drinking alchol.

There is a lot of info from Wikipedia, the National Library of Medicine, various Journals pertaining to Neurology, pharmacology, etc.

Once we ingest alcohol, it get absorbed through the stomach as well as the small intestine, enters the blood steam and passes through the blood brain barrier where if consumed on a empty stomach, can start to effect behavior within two minutes. Eating food, especially food that is fatty can slow down the effects on the brain.

As for the neurons, it does slow neuronal activity or causes the neurons to fire slower. Each neuron produces a neurotransmitter, a kinda of little boat that floats across the synapse which is a fluid filled space between two neurons. Alcohol slows neuronal activity in the brain in several places. One area is the brain stem or what is called the reptilian brain or old brain or the first part of the brain to evolve. The structures there that are effected are the cerebellum(looks like a little tangerine at the base of the brain) which control balance and coordination.( the inner ear is another issue). The medulla which connects from the spinal cord into the center of the brain control breathing and respiration and alcohol can slow that functioning and in some cases stop a person from breathing if they have ingested too much alcohol. What is too much-varies from person to person. Any medications that intensify the effect and could be deadly.

Once the signals from the lower part of the brain reach toward the center of the brain, it stimulates (paradoxical effect) the limbic system or the part of the body that is involved in emotion. This is considered the second part of the brain to evolve ( lions and tigers and bears, oh my!). There are several structures here that can be effected. One is called the hippocampus which has many functions. One of them is short term memory(what did I have for breakfast) and also something called "inhibiting behavioral arousal" That seems to imply that the hippocampus stops us from doing certain behaviors that I can only assume might be considered harmful to us(maybe an evolutionary safeguard?) One drink can cause this structure to slow down and as I remember as a youth, gave me "courage" to walk across the dance floor to ask someone far more attractive than me to dance.

There is also another structure there called the amygdala which also has a number of functions, one of them is to control anger.

Just because I have one drink may not give me courage or make me angry cause that guy is talking to my wife---not yet! The part of the brain that gives me the "go Ahead" is the frontal lobe or amore specific part of the frontal lobe called the prefrontal cortex.

alcohol is classified a depressant along with other medications. The main neurotransmitter involved in alcohol is GABA. GABA is also involved with medications such as sleeping pills but the specific neurons that they effect are different.

Supertasters which appear mainly to be women. a good percentage appear to be Asian but yet, Certain Asians have difficulty metabolizing alcohol.

The above is really a brief summary of a much more complicated process

Corinth

 

[LoneStarLori]

This is pretty interesting. I had no idea it affects so many different parts of the brain. It helps explain why some are 'mean' drunks and others are 'silly' drunks. my hippocampus is clearly in overdrive when I drink too much. I can't remember chi*t.

 

[sour_grapes]

You know, almost always for me, gaining a scientific understanding of something that I enjoy helps me to enjoy it more.

In this case ..... not so much!

 

[BernardSmith]

This is pretty interesting. I had no idea it affects so many different parts of the brain. It helps explain why some are 'mean' drunks and others are 'silly' drunks. my hippocampus is clearly in overdrive when I drink too much. I can't remember chi*t.

I am not certain but I think that because alcohol acts as a dis-inhibitor that in some cultures people invoke their use of alcohol to explain away their increased friendliness while in other cultures people invoke their consumption of alcohol to explain an increase in aggressiveness

 

[LoveTheWine]

I believe this short clip from 'Bagger Vance' will explain what ethanol will do to you

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_rPQ7YVHno[/ame]

 

[corinth]

[ame="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG78f0g4Pz8"]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG78f0g4Pz8[/ame]

The above is the famous scene from "Tomstone." The latin is first stated and then the Latin is then interpreted and lastly, the Latin is put into todays everyday everyday terminology.

I think the scene from Badger Vance is great! I love movies and I will have to add it to the list
Thanks Love the Wine!

Oh, and LoneStarlori:

Can't remember may be that the neurons in the hippocampus(short term memory ) are probably are slowed or blocked from sending their message along into long term storage but again, the effect depends on various variables and each person is different .

"In Vino Veritas"

 

[corinth]

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG78f0g4Pz8[/url]

The above is the famous scene from "Tomstone." The latin is first stated and then the Latin is then interpreted and lastly, the Latin is put into todays everyday everyday terminology.

I think the scene from Badger Vance is great! I love movies and I will have to add it to the list
Thanks Love the Wine!

Oh, and LoneStarlori:

Can't remember maybe that the neurons in the hippocampus(short term memory ) may slowed or blocked and therefore, your ability to remember is never stored in long term memory.

As Bermard Smith has correctly stated, various cultures use alcohol for various reasons and there is a lot of research that pertains to how alcohol effects various ethnic groups. I am being carful here for obvious reasons.

"In Vino Veritas"

 

[corinth]

There has been a lot of research on how alcohol has been shown to effect the body which would include our circulatory system. I copied the below from a website: The below does group the research results into categories. Many of which would include but not limited to correlational research, PET scans(which measure glucose absorption in the brain), deep tissue research as well as strictly controlled pharmacological research who standards need to be higher than normal an attempt to offset any "placebo effect' from those in the control group ( it took it and I feel better even though it was not what you thought it was).

Food poisoning: a glass or two of red and white wine with a meal kills the bacteria responsible for almost all illnesses caused by food.

Brain: wine improves brain function in older women. French researchers found that women over 50 who drank two or more glasses of wine daily were 2.5 times more likely to score in the top 10 per cent in tests.

Arteries: those who drink one or two glasses of wine a day have a reduced risk of developing blocked arteries in the legs.Wine improves circulation, dilates blood vessels and raises good cholesterol.

Infections: red wine, unlike some other forms of alcohol, does not suppress the immune system. Cells fighting off infections are unaffected by moderate amounts.

Dementia: a glass of red wine a day might help ward off neurodegenerative diseases. A compound called resveratrol in grapes stimulates an enzyme in the brain involved in nerve regeneration.

Heart attack: people who drink up to 30 units of alcohol a week are less likely to die of a heart attack than abstainers. Moderate drinking - two glasses of wine for men and one for women - may improve the chances of surviving a heart attack.
Eyesight: moderate drinking of wine - but not beer or spirits - has been linked to a lower risk of age-related degeneration of the retina, which can lead to blindness.

Also men metabolize alcohol faster than women meaning that they can sober up faster--interesting!

 

[sour_grapes]

French researchers found that women over 50 who drank two or more glasses of wine daily were 2.5 times more likely to score in the top 10 per cent in tests.

But it doesn't say what they were testing. Or why those middle-aged French researchers were smiling so much after the tests.

 

[tingo]

What say you?

When I was in college as a freshman, a professor gave us a rundown on proper classroom etiquette. He warned us to rest up the night before taking a test. He also said that if we studied for said test while intoxicated we could only pass it if we drank again right before the test. This was very interesting to me. Does that mean that memories are storied in the pickled regions of our brains? I believe his statements to be true because not only did he back it up with studies conducted, but because I remember "party stories" much easier when I have had a few to drink haha.

 

[BernardSmith]

There has been a lot of research on the positive effects of alcohol. I copied the below from a website: very interesting!

Food poisoning: a glass or two of red and white wine with a meal kills the bacteria responsible for almost all illnesses caused by food.

Brain: wine improves brain function in older women. French researchers found that women over 50 who drank two or more glasses of wine daily were 2.5 times more likely to score in the top 10 per cent in tests.

Arteries: those who drink one or two glasses of wine a day have a reduced risk of developing blocked arteries in the legs.Wine improves circulation, dilates blood vessels and raises good cholesterol.

Infections: red wine, unlike some other forms of alcohol, does not suppress the immune system. Cells fighting off infections are unaffected by moderate amounts.

Dementia: a glass of red wine a day might help ward off neurodegenerative diseases. A compound called resveratrol in grapes stimulates an enzyme in the brain involved in nerve regeneration.

Heart attack: people who drink up to 30 units of alcohol a week are less likely to die of a heart attack than abstainers. Moderate drinking - two glasses of wine for men and one for women - may improve the chances of surviving a heart attack.
Eyesight: moderate drinking of wine - but not beer or spirits - has been linked to a lower risk of age-related degeneration of the retina, which can lead to blindness.

Jogging: runners who drink moderately - two glasses of wine a day - have raised levels of good cholesterol.
There seems to be a lot of research on red wines and why they may give less of a hangover---still need to look that up.

Also men metabolize alcohol faster than women meaning that they can sober up faster--interesting!

Anybody out there know anything about SUPERTASTERS?

I suspect that MANY - if not all these claims are incredibly different from the research data they are based on. For example, the anti dementia properties of resveratrol are undoubtedly true but you would have to drink a swimming pool amount of wine every day to consume enough of that compound to have any effect. Abstainers may be more likely to suffer from cardiac disease for many reasons for which their abstention is not a cause but a correlation. (Not everyone who does not drink is "an abstainer").

Drink in moderation is pleasurable - both because of the pleasure alcohol provides and the occasions when we tend to drink. I don't know if we need to transform what is a pleasure into a virtue

 

[corinth]

"Bernard Smith:I suspect that MANY - if not all these claims are incredibly different from the research data they are based on"

If not all...from the research data they are based on?

I agree that in many studies, especially correlational studies, abstainers is left up to judgment of the researchers who decided on how they would define "abstain" It is for this reason that many researchers replicate research to better control their variables.

We do know that men do metabolize faster than women based upon an enzyme that men have that women do not.

There are numerous studies that support statistically valid research results from which many of the claims come from. Though many of these are long term studies over 10-20 years and others are done with the infamous albino mice, there is some truth to this research.

As for any experimenter bias or politics involved, the infamous "French paradox" would be a good example. When first published certain groups jumped on the bandwagon to publicize it in order to further their own rewards. The fact that it was published in Lancet, a very highly reputable journal in England equal to our New England Journal of medicine helped the "Validity?" of the study. We assume that politics plays no part in prestigious journals but that is not always the case.



Corinth

 

[corinth]

I just thought that I would mention and hopefully successfully link a website that I have used for years which then allows me to look up the actual research as long as it does not cost me too much money.
It is the National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health. It is here that you can look up almost anything pertaining to the body and I mean anything. It is a great resource not only for the above topic but also for anyone seeking information concerning their body or helping someone else concerning health issues. . http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

 

[corinth]

The effects of Ethanol on the brain.

This is a slight update to my original post:


JohnT
"I believe that ethanol works its way into the synapses (gaps between nerve cells) and effects the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. The more ethanol you drink, the worse this becomes.
I read in a book somewhere that drinking alcohol can make you silly. Right then an there I decided that I had had enough! No more reading for me!"

You are absolutely correct! we have billions of nerve cells and many things slow down the impulse speed while at the same time stimulating other parts of the brain which we can call pleasure in everyday terms:
Extra Detail
Detail Example:
Example: sleeping pills, barbiturates, Anti-anxiety meds and alcholol slow down the impulse speed. Alcohol does also but medications such as sleeping pills are formulated to target specific parts meant to induce sleep.
SLEEP: Alcohol may help wind down or mellow you out prior to bedtime but you run of risk of it effecting your deep sleep, something necessary to help your brain function better.

As for making you "silly", this would depend on a lot of factors. One of the main ones is the Hippocampus, a little structure in the emotional part of the brain. One function of it is "hold you back from doing things" With one or more drinks of type of alchohol will slow its stopping power and you might act on behaviors that you may not have done otherwise.

Extra detail: Everyone is different and that includes how alcholol effects men and women. Your personality and a number of variables not to mention your genetic make up may influence your behavior. For that reason, some people get happy, some people get sad, some people get sleepy,etc.

Sour_grapes:
"You know, almost always for me, gaining a scientific understanding of something that I enjoy helps me to enjoy it more."

I agree with you whole heartedly. And since my professional background is rooted in physiology and behavior, I investigate whatever I do as it gives me a further understanding of the process(from cooking, Bonsai, Woodworking,etc) and helps me appreciate it all the more.


Bernard Shaw
" I am not certain but I think that because alcohol acts as a dis-inhibitor that in some cultures people invoke their use of alcohol to explain away their increased friendliness while in other cultures people invoke their consumption of alcohol to explain an increase in aggressiveness"

You are right on both accounts! It is a dis-inhibitor. The first goes back our little friend, The Hippocampus(stated above)" The second valid point is that there is a little structure next to it called the "Amygdala." This is involved in many behaviors, one of which is "aggression." That being said, if you are not an aggressive kinda person, it may not cause you to become aggressive. But many factors would contribute to that. There is also a lot of research pertaining to certain groups of people who have difficulty metabolizing alcohol.

Extra Detail: Let us say we took someone like Jack Nicholson in the famous movie, "one flew over the cuckoos nest." In his case, Alcohol would stop him (Hippocampus) from holding him back. The Amygadala in his case had an aggressive predisposition. These working together would cause him to consider doing more than he should. The last Bastion of holding him back would have been the "pre-frontal cortex" of the "frontal Lobe" which is involved in "movement" or the actual behavior of acting out. Once the frontal lobe gave him the go-ahead, the rest became violent. The end result of his behavior caused him to get a "pre-frontal lobotomy" used years ago in severe cases to control violent behavior

Bernard Shaw: You did bring up a very interesting point concerning pleasure and virtue. I agree with your statement and it is interesting that in the 1950's scientists use the word "pleasure" and James Olds who is credited to discovering the "Pleasure Centers(by accident) used that word pleasure.
Extra Detail but since then, we call it " circuit feedback loop" and other names. This research and its finding are really fascinating, I mean really great stuff as it applies many things we see, touch, taste, smell, etc. But is possibly another thread or post.

Tingo: I read your story and to tell you the truth, it don't add up but who am I to doubt that it worked for you.
Excess Detail:Beyond moderate ingestion of alcohol can slow the impulses to the hippocampus which is also involved in forming new memories. If they are stopped, then it will not go to long terms storage.
However, there are just too many variables!

As for you remembering "party stories"--ya got me! I am fascinated and will probably try looking it up to asking some questions in another forum I am a member of.

Am I party to make any sociological, political, cultural, ethnic, religious, spiritual opinions to those who abstain to those who consume alcohol-never! It is not my place and never will be.