PHAR1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Alcohol-Related Dementia, Thiamine, Confabulation
Alcohol (Ethanol) effects on the brain:
Alcohol we drink = ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
- Made through fermentation by yeasts
- Soluble in lipids and water.
- A toxic metabolite made by yeasts when they metabolize sugars to make energy for life
- Limitations to the levels of alcohol in fermented drinks occur as concentration of alcohol reaches
levels toxic to the yeast.
- Is the toxicity that makes it good as sanitizer.
All drugs are toxic as a function of dose
- Even water causes intoxication and, rarely, causes fatalities in people when drinking too much
(polysipsia).
Poisons have serious toxic effects at low doses:
Some drugs toxic with low doses if taken over long time period.
- Therefore toxicity may be function of DOSE and DURATION.
- i.e. alcohol.
Chronic use of moderately high dose:
Can lead to Korsakoff’s sdroe or alcohol dementia.
Korsakoff’s Sdroe:
- amnesia
- confabulation – invented memories which are then taken as true due to gaps in memory
sometimes associated with black outs
- meager content in conversation
- lack of insight
- apathy – lose interest in thinks quickly and appear indifferent to change
- NOT CAUSED DIRECTLY BY ETHANOL, BUT BY THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) DEFICIENCY DUE TO
MALNUTRITION ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOLISM.
Alcohol dementia:
- Direct effect of neurotoxicity of alcohol
- Memory deficits
- Recognition deficits
- Movement and speech deficits.
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Document Summary
A toxic metabolite made by yeasts when they metabolize sugars to make energy for life. Limitations to the levels of alcohol in fermented drinks occur as concentration of alcohol reaches levels toxic to the yeast. Is the toxicity that makes it good as sanitizer. All drugs are toxic as a function of dose. Even water causes intoxication and, rarely, causes fatalities in people when drinking too much (polysipsia). Poisons have serious toxic effects at low doses: Some drugs toxic with low doses if taken over long time period. Therefore toxicity may be function of dose and duration. i. e. alcohol. Can lead to korsakoff"s s(cid:455)(cid:374)dro(cid:373)e or alcohol dementia. Korsakoff"s s(cid:455)(cid:374)dro(cid:373)e: amnesia confabulation invented memories which are then taken as true due to gaps in memory sometimes associated with black outs. Not caused directly by ethanol, but by thiamine (vitamin b1) deficiency due to lack of insight apathy lose interest in thinks quickly and appear indifferent to change.
