Alcoholism

1. Alcoholism Tierra Hubb

2. Essential Question • What are the common effects of alcoholism? • The purpose of this power point to give information about alcoholism and the effects it has on brain.

3. Topics of Discussion: • What is alcoholism? • What are the mental effects of alcoholism? • What are the treatments for these mental effects?

4. What is alcoholism? • Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms: • Craving--A strong need, or urge, to drink. • Loss of control--Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun. • Physical dependence--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking. • Tolerance--The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high." (NIAAA, section 1)

5. Factors that influence how and to what extent does alcohol affect the brain • How much and how often a person drinks? • The age at which he or she first began drinking, and how long he or she has been drinking. • The person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism. • Whether he or she is at risk as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure. • His or her general health status (“Alcohol Alert” ,section 1).

6. Blackouts and Memory Lapses • Alcohol can produce detectable impairments in memory after only a few drinks and, as the amount of alcohol increases, so does the degree of impairment. (“Alcohol Alert”, section 2) • Large quantities of alcohol, especially consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can cause a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events, or even entire events. • Blackouts is a phenomenon caused by the intake of alcohol in which long term memory creation is impaired or there is a complete inability to recall the past (“Blackouts”, par.2).

7. Wernicke’s Korsakoff Syndrome • Up to 80 percent of alcoholics, have a deficiency in thiamine, and some will go on to develop serious brain disorders such as Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome • WKS is a disease that consists of two separate syndromes, a short–lived and severe condition called Wernicke’s encephalopathy and a long–lasting and debilitating condition known as Korsakoff’s psychosis. (Alcohol Alert, section 5) • The symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy include mental confusion, paralysis of the nerves that move the eyes), and difficulty with muscle coordination. (5) • Approximately 80 to 90 percent of alcoholics with Wernicke’s encephalopathy also develop Korsakoff’s psychosis, a chronic and debilitating syndrome characterized by persistent learning and memory problems. (5)

8. Treatment • Cerebellum is an area in the brain that is responsible for coordinating memory and possibly some forms of learning. • The cerebellum is sensitive to the affects of thiamine deficiency and is most damaged by chronic alcohol consumption. • Giving the patient thiamine helps improve brain function especially in those who have WKS. • Scientists believe that a genetic variation could be one explanation for why only some alcoholics with thiamine deficiency go on to develop severe conditions such as WKS(6)

9. Liver Disease • Heavy and long term drinking can damage the liver, the organ essential in breaking down alcohol into byproducts and removing it from the body. • Prolonged liver dysfunction with the excessive alcohol consumption can cause a serious and possibly fatal brain disorder called hepatic encephalopathy • Hepatic encephalopathy can cause changes in sleep patterns, mood, and personality; psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression; severe cognitive effects such as shortened attention span; and problems with coordination such as a flapping or shaking of the hands. In the most serious cases, patients may slip into a coma.(7)

10. Treatment • Physicians usually use these strategies to prevent or treat developing hepatic encephalopathy: • Treatment that lowers blood ammonia concentrations, such as administering L–ornithine L–aspartate. • Techniques such as liver–assist devices, or “artificial livers,” that clear the patients’ blood of harmful toxins. In initial studies, patients using these devices showed lower amounts of ammonia circulating in their blood, and their encephalopathy became less severe . • Liver transplantation, an approach that is widely used in alcoholic cirrhotic patients with severe (i.e., end–stage) chronic liver failure. In general, implantation of a new liver results in significant improvements in cognitive function in these patients and lowers their levels of ammonia and manganese. (“Alcohol Alert”, section 8)

11. References • "Alcohol Alert." NIAA. National Institute of Health. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. <http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/FAQs/General-English/default.htm#whatis>. • "Blackout." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_%28alcohol-related_amnesia%29>. • United States. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Research & Health. 2nd ed. Vol. 27. 2003. Alcohol Alert. National Institute of Health, Oct. 2004. Web. 21 Nov. 2009. <http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm>.