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Related Concept Videos

Drug Dependence01:17

Drug Dependence

Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake01:21

Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake

Certain drugs can affect how neurotransmitters called catecholamines, are released or taken back up in the adrenergic neuron. They can have different effects on the body's sympathetic transmission. Reserpine, a natural compound found in the Rauwolfia shrub, blocks a transporter called vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), which leads to a buildup of catecholamines in the cell and reduces sympathetic transmission. Another drug called guanethidine works in multiple ways, including blocking...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena01:15

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily...
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...
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines01:14

CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

CNS depressants include drugs from the category of barbiturates and benzodiazepines. They are valuable medications for managing anxiety disorders and insomnia. Barbiturates, once used to induce and maintain sleep, have been replaced mainly by benzodiazepines due to barbiturate's toxicity, tolerance, and overdose risks. They interact with GABAA receptors, leading to sedation at low doses and potentially coma and death at higher doses. Phenobarbital, a long-acting barbiturate, possesses...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

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

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NIH conference. Alcohol withdrawal and noradrenergic function.

M Linnoila1, I Mefford, D Nutt

  • 1National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892.

Annals of Internal Medicine
|December 1, 1987
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Alcohol withdrawal syndrome involves sympathetic nervous system overactivity, linked to norepinephrine release. Reduced brain epinephrine in rats suggests its role in alcohol

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is marked by sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity.
  • Biochemical studies link increased norepinephrine release to AWS symptom severity.
  • Alcohol affects brain epinephrine levels, potentially influencing intoxication and reward.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neurochemical underpinnings of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
  • To explore the role of norepinephrine and epinephrine in AWS.
  • To examine the impact of clonidine and corticotropin-releasing hormone on AWS.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical analysis of norepinephrine and epinephrine in rat models.
  • Infusion of clonidine (norepinephrine alpha-2-receptor agonist) in human alcoholics during withdrawal.
  • Assessment of pituitary responsiveness to corticotropin-releasing hormone in AWS.

Main Results:

  • Norepinephrine release positively correlates with AWS symptom severity.
  • Alcohol intake reduces brain epinephrine; inhibiting synthesis reverses intoxication effects in rats.
  • Alcohol withdrawal in rats shows hypothalamic epinephrine depletion.
  • Norepinephrine alpha-2-receptors are subsensitive during AWS in humans.
  • Pituitary responsiveness to corticotropin-releasing hormone is altered during AWS.

Conclusions:

  • Norepinephrine overactivity and epinephrine dysregulation are key features of AWS.
  • Subsensitivity of norepinephrine alpha-2-receptors may contribute to AWS.
  • Repeated withdrawal episodes could lead to kindling, exacerbating noradrenergic hyperactivity.
  • Altered stress response pathways, including pituitary-adrenal axis, are implicated in AWS.