PHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL REACTIONS ALCOHOLISM

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL REACTIONSALCOHOLISMReading comprehension courseAlcoholismAlcoholism is a chronic disease or behavioral disorder which it manifests repeated ingestionalcoholic beverages in amounts dietary exceeding limits social and accepted by the community, causing harm to health drinker, its relations with other people and finally their activity economic.

The psycho-physiological and drug-dynamic action of the alcohol is basically depressive due to the reduction of the synaptic transmission in the human nervous system. It is a well-known fact that the excessive consumption of alcohol causes a chronic and acute dysfunction of the brain, producing disorders in the central nervous system, presenting alterations in the memory and in the intellectual functions such as calculations, comprehension and learning.

95% of ingested alcohol remains in the body to be metabolized in the liver, into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H20). From 1 to 5% is excreted by the inhaled air and 1 to 15% is excreted in the urine.

The sedative properties of alcohol make it have an anesthetic on the body effect on areas of the brain, reducing its activity; and as all sedative-hypnotic drug, it acts to promote synaptic inhibition produced by the transmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Alcohol is known to inhibit the release of oxytocin, vasopressin and possibly other hypothalamic peptides, when its concentration is in the pharmacological limits. Both oxytocin and vasopressin appear to influence a number of aspects of behavior in both experimental animals and in humans. In particular, attention has focused on its effects on memory and learning when administered systematically or intracerebral.Alcohol exerts its main influence on the nervous system, and both tolerance and dependence depends largely on its neural effects. Psychophysiological and their pharmacodynamics action is primarily depressive, similar to that produced by general anesthetics. Like them, it acts on the neuronal membrane, thanks to its high lipid solubility.

The main organ involved in alcohol metabolism is the liver, since it is performed 95% of its oxidation, and quite harmful chemical effect. It has been shown that a diet rich alcohol represents a massive overload on the liver. In this situation, the alcohol is converted to the primary fuel, leaving the liver to metabolize their usual fuel (which are fats); this results in multiple disorders such as fat accumulation not oxidized, and the oxidation of ethanol that produces large quantities of hydrogen.

Most alcoholics reach the state of alcoholic fatty liver, which involves an enlarged liver and mild abnormalities in liver. Some alcoholics develop acute fatty liver, jaundice, abdominal pain and anorexia appear. In some patients necrosis of hepatocytes occurs when the degree of necrosis and serious inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis), which often represents a life-threatening; if the person continues drinking, will develop cirrhosis.A pathology associated with alcoholism is Wernicke syndrome, whose appearance is associated with thiamine deficiency. In Wernicke syndrome is a clinical anatomic location of the lesion; delirium that appears stimulation of the cortex and the thalamus, and irritation of the central gray matter of the brain stem due. The patient is reassured and presented ocular involvement because the midbrain injury becomes destructive and affects the nuclei of cranial nerves. When you get to coma, the lesions are located at the junction of the midbrain and diencephalon.

Korsakoff's psychosis, meanwhile, is a disease characterized by severe loss of recent memory; in it, the patient is unable to retain certain data for several seconds. Accepts any idea that he suggests, has little capacity for judgment or intuition to recognize the credibility of any suggestion that he made, or any statement made by him.

Korsakoff's syndrome is caused by a vitamin deficiency, probably thiamine. However, there is no doubt that vitamin A deficiency, whether it is due to alcoholism, persistent vomiting, is not the only cause. This may occur as a result of tumors or surgical lesions of the mammillary of encephalitis or cerebral circulation disorders.

It is important to note that the effects of alcohol depend on the amount that is concentrated in body fluids or blood. When compared to the total liquid volume exists in the body, of 0.05% to 0.10% concentration in the blood thereof a feeling of relaxation, sedation and euphoria occurs due to producing disinhibition; therefore, it is considered wrongly as a stimulant. But actually the alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system, what happens is that the individual initially deshinibeand then depressed.

When the level of alcohol concentration in the blood is between 0.10% and 0.20%, most drinkers show signs of intoxication, physical and mental disability that affects perception and motor performance occurs, muscular coordination is impaired, judgment is affected, reactions to stimuli slow, changes occur in visual and auditory discrimination, the language is confusing, the person becomes in some silly, outrageous, sometimes melancholic or aggressive, there is an exaggerated confidence own abilities, antisocial behaviors manifest, or in certain cases the intoxicated individual is isolated silently.CONCLUSIONSThe central nervous system is very sensitive to the effects of alcohol. There is a general dose-dependent depression, starting with mild sedation and anesthesia is carried, coma and even death.

With alcohol euphoria occurs; the alcoholic becomes self-confident, assertive and talkative. Despite the increase in confidence, motor skills are reduced almost completely.Euphoria, loss of disinhibition, muscular incoordination and increased reaction time are the five basic actions alcohol on the nervous system . The intensity of each of the effects corresponds to a direct relationship with the amount of alcohol in the blood, in turn is directly related to the duration of drinking.WHO IS AN ALCOHOLIC?Loss of self confidence for relief to others.Often want a drink more.Try to control your drinking.Drink when not planning to do.Periods of abstinence.Blackouts.Feelings of guilt.Before arriving alcoholism is passed through three stages, the first is to be a social drinker, the second is to be a heavy drinker and the last is the problem drinker, after that comes the disease of alcoholism.

In their drinking alcohol worsens and there is no experience whatsoever of someone who has been drinking binge was able to return to normal and socially drink.

Once problem drinkers cross the line into alcoholism, you can not go back.

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