| The latest string of facts to emerge regarding | | | | affects the inner-workings of the brain. For instance, |
| alcoholism is staggering. A National Institute on Alcohol | | | | researchers at the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol |
| Abuse and Alcoholism study of over 43,000 American | | | | Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Maryland recently |
| adults found that more Americans develop alcoholism | | | | tested twelve volunteers and compared brain activity |
| each year than any other mental disorder. | | | | using magnetic resonance imaging. |
| Over a one year period, nearly 2% became alcoholics | | | | The study found that alcohol use caused volunteers to |
| in need of alcohol treatment and an additional 1% | | | | be unable to identify images of people's faces who |
| showed signs of regular binge drinking. The damage is | | | | exhibited fear. The amygdala, which registers |
| believed to exceed over $180 million annually and | | | | emotional reactions in the brain, lit up when fearful |
| contributes to nearly half of all car accidents, claiming | | | | faces were shown to the sober volunteers; but after |
| 100,000 lives. | | | | modest alcohol consumption, the threat-detecting brain |
| "Alcohol can change gene expression in the brain. This | | | | circuits were significantly dulled. |
| is believed to be responsible for many of the hallmarks | | | | "At one end of the spectrum, less anxiety might enable |
| of addiction, such as tolerance, physical dependence | | | | us to approach a new person at a party," explains |
| and cravings, as well as the consequences of chronic | | | | Marina Wolf at the Rosalind Franklin University of |
| alcoholism, such as neurotoxicity (brain damage)," said | | | | Medicine and Science. "But at the other end of the |
| Dr. R. Adron Harris, director of UT Austin's Waggoner | | | | spectrum, we may fail to avoid an argument or a fight," |
| Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research. | | | | she said. She added that the study results make a |
| Just as a computer virus corrupts the system, alcohol | | | | compelling case against those individuals who feel that |
| consumption can also tinker with proteins and regions | | | | the tendency toward poor decision making after |
| of the brain, leaving its mark. In his study, he found that | | | | alcohol use "doesn't apply" to them. |
| 163/4,000 brain tissue genes (4%) were found to differ | | | | The scary thing about alcoholism is that one can |
| by 40% or more between alcoholics and | | | | actually die from alcohol related withdrawal symptoms, |
| non-alcoholics. | | | | if not properly managed. Since heavy alcohol |
| The genes most susceptible to change were the | | | | consumption reduces GABA neuroinhibitor production, |
| sensitive "white matter" called myelin. Myelin is the | | | | there can be an uncontrolled firing of the synapses -- |
| insulation between the brain's information-carrying cells, | | | | resulting in hallucinations, shakes, convulsions, seizures |
| which would explain why cognitive deficiency is one of | | | | and heart failure. This is certainly not the case for |
| the effects of alcohol. | | | | everyone who likes to pound a few drinks now and |
| One way researchers are looking into addiction | | | | then, but for the daily, heavy binge drinker, a carefully |
| treatment for alcoholism is by studying the way alcohol | | | | monitored detoxification program is crucial. |