(Exam 3) Alcohol

Question 1

what is the main ingredient in alcohol?

Answer 1

ethyl alcohol/ethanol/ETOH

Question 2

what kind of drug is alcohol?

Answer 2

a psychoactive drug

Question 3

what are the effects of alcohol?

Answer 3

similar to sedative-hypnotic compounds

Question 4

what are the uses of alcohol?

Answer 4

recreational uses

Question 5

relationship between alcohol and dependence?

Answer 5

strong association

Question 6

how/where/how fast is alcohol absorbed?

Answer 6

rapidly in stomach, small intestine

Question 7

what interaction affects the dose of alcohol ?

Answer 7

food intake

Question 8

what is the distribution of alcohol ?

Answer 8

freely crosses BBB and placenta

Question 9

what metabolizes alcohol ?

Answer 9

liver 95%, 5% excreted unchanged from lungs

Question 10

how quickly is alcohol metabolized?

Answer 10

1/3 - 1/2 oz. of pure alcohol per hour

Question 11

what does BAC stand for?

Answer 11

blood alcohol concentration

Question 12

alcohol affects synaptic activity of which 2 main NTs?

Answer 12

Glut + GABA

Question 13

what does alcohol do to Glut?

Answer 13

inhibits NMDA R activity; NMDA R antagonist

Question 14

what does alcohol do to GABA?

Answer 14

activates GABA; sedation/relaxation, impaired cognitive + motor skills, anxiolytic; activated DA pathway (VTA to NAc)

Question 15

what are the respiratory effects?

Answer 15

depression at high doses; potentially lethal

Question 16

what can withdrawal cause?

Answer 16

seizures

Question 17

what is the effect on blood circulation?

Answer 17

dilation of blood vessels in the skin (feel warm, but actually body heat is lost)

Question 18

what is the effect on sleep?

Answer 18

induces sleep, but suppresses REM; may cause early awakening

Question 19

is the drug-induced dementia reversible?

Answer 19

yes

Question 20

what kind of damage does excessive drinking cause?

Answer 20

liver damage (cirrhosis) + digestive system damage (pancreatitis, chronic gastritis) + destruction of nerve cells (alcohol dementia: korsakoff’s syndrome)

Question 21

what is metabolic tolerance?

Answer 21

when the liver enzyme’s increase

Question 22

what is functional tolerance

Answer 22

neuronal adaptation, behavioral only; not tolerant to memory/cognitive effects

Question 23

what is associative tolerance

Answer 23

environment-related tolerance

Question 24

when does blackout occur?

Answer 24

BAC around 0.25

Question 25

what location's activity is suppressed to affect memory? why?

Answer 25

hippocampus; blocks NMDA Rs

Question 26

what are fragmentary blackouts?

Answer 26

bits and pieces remembered, little is encoded

Question 27

what is memory en bloc?

Answer 27

nothing is remembered

Question 28

when can withdrawal (WD) develop?

Answer 28

can develop in hours

Question 29

detox involves what?

Answer 29

blocking seizures through benzos + AEDs

Question 30

what is kindling? what does it cause?

Answer 30

repeat alc WD; increase in severity/likelihood of seizure

Question 31

what is delirium tremens?

Answer 31

WD syndrome involving tremors, hallucinations, psychomotor agitation, confusion, sleep disruption

Question 32

what other psychopathologies is alcoholism associated with?

Answer 32

MDD, anxiety disorder, impulse control problem

Question 33

therapy goals for alcohol abuse + dependence

Answer 33

1) treat/prevent WD symptoms 2) reduce consumption/cravings 3) prevent relapse 4) treat associated psychological problems

Question 34

what drugs prevent relapse?

Answer 34

alcohol-sensitizing drugs, opioid antagonists

Question 35

how does alcohol effect the cortex?

Answer 35

depresses behavioral inhibitory centers, slows perception processing of sensory information, inhibits thought processes

Question 36

what does alcohol do to DA?

Answer 36

increases DA levels

Question 37

alcohol effect on corpus callosum?

Answer 37

slows information transfer between hemispheres; most noticeable in speech issues

Question 38

effect on cerebellum?

Answer 38

affects movement and balance; swagger, falling down, poor motor control

Question 39

effect on hypothalamus + pituitary

Answer 39

increases hormone release, leads to increased desire + arousal, decreased activity in cortex decreased ability to perform, decrease memory formation

Question 40

effect on brainstem

Answer 40

high BAC decreases respiration + body temp, can lead to death

Question 41

long term effects of heavy drinking (in order of first to last)

Answer 41

memory, judgment, perception, higher thought abilities