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Related Concept Videos

Depressants01:28

Depressants

Depressant drugs, including alcohol and sedative-hypnotics, diminish central nervous system activity by enhancing the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces brain activity and promotes relaxation. These substances can have various therapeutic uses but also pose significant risks, especially when misused or combined.
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview01:23

Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview

Sedatives are drugs that alleviate anxiety, while hypnotics induce sleep. Both classes of medication suppress neuronal activity, leading to a calming effect for sedatives and facilitating sleep for hypnotics.
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines01:19

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines have both sedative and hypnotic properties. They include compounds such as diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax). Structurally, their cores are similar, consisting of the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring, but they share a common mechanism of action in the central nervous system (CNS).
Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. They bind to the GABAA receptor, increasing its affinity for GABA, which opens chloride...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents01:17

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates01:20

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a drug class that acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to alleviate anxiety, promote relaxation and induce sleep.These drugs function by amplifying the actions of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), resulting in reduced neuronal activity. Barbiturates, a subset of sedatives and hypnotics first synthesized in the late 1800s, are categorized into ultra-short, short, intermediate, and long-acting groups based on their duration of effect. A key...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Flypub To Study Ethanol Induced Behavioral Disinhibition and Sensitization
08:13

Flypub To Study Ethanol Induced Behavioral Disinhibition and Sensitization

Published on: May 18, 2020

Alcohol increases hypnotic susceptibility.

Rebecca Semmens-Wheeler1, Zoltán Dienes, Theodora Duka

  • 1Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science and the School of Psychology, University of Sussex, UK.

Consciousness and Cognition
|August 21, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Alcohol consumption enhances hypnotizability by impairing frontal lobe executive functions. This finding supports theories suggesting that reduced self-awareness and executive control facilitate hypnotic responses.

Keywords:
AlcoholCold control theoryDorsolateral prefrontal cortexHigher order thought theoryHypnosis

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

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Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
09:26

Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication

Published on: February 6, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Hypnotic experience may require attenuated frontal lobe activity.
  • Cold control theory suggests reduced awareness of intentions leads to involuntariness in hypnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of alcohol on hypnotizability.
  • To determine if impaired frontal lobe executive function influences hypnotic susceptibility.

Main Methods:

  • 32 medium-hypnotizable participants received either alcohol (0.8 mg/kg) or a placebo.
  • Participants underwent hypnosis and received hypnotic suggestions.
  • All participants incorrectly believed they had consumed alcohol.

Main Results:

  • Participants who received alcohol showed increased susceptibility to hypnotic suggestions compared to the placebo group.
  • Alcohol consumption led to greater responsiveness to hypnotic suggestions.

Conclusions:

  • Impaired frontal lobe activity, induced by alcohol, facilitates hypnotic responding.
  • Findings support theories where executive function attenuation enhances hypnotic response.