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How drinking can affect the brain
Alcohol abuse among pregnant women
Effects of alcoholism during pregnancy
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Exposure to alcohol during prenatal development is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects and mental impairments (Bower, Szajer, Mattson, Riley, & Murphy, 2013; Nuñez, Roussotte, &Sowell, 2011; Sowell et al., 2008a). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the more severe form of PAE, affects two to seven out of every 1000 individuals in the United States (May et al., as cited in Simmons, Thomas, Levy & Riley, 2010). The term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes an individual with varying levels of PAE. Sampson et al. (as cited in Simmons at al., 2010) estimated that one in every 100 individuals suffers from some form of FASD. With such a high prevalence in the population, numerous studies have been done showing the detrimental effects of PAE. The purpose of this paper is to review literature in brain development and structural changes in response to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).
PAE has several characteristic symptoms including brain and facial dsymorphology. Disruption of normal brain development due to prenatal alcohol exposure is linked to size reduction and/or damage in almost all parts of the brain (Lebel , Roussotte, & Sowell, 2011), decreased neuron generation rate, delayed and/or atypically migration of neurons during brain development, and decreased myelin and axon development (Guerri & Renau-Piqueras, 1997). PAE has also been linked to reduced motor coordination (Xie, Yang, Chappell, Li, & Waters, 2009), a lowered IQ and attention span, an increased tendency for hyperactivity, and a decreased ability in verbal learning and language skills (Yang et al., 2011). In addition, individuals exposed to high levels of alcohol in the womb have growth retardation (Lebel et al., 2011) and typical facial ...
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...y prenatal alcohol exposure. Cerebral Cortex, 18(1), 136-144. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhm039
Tajuddin, N. F., Orrico, L. A., Eriksen, J. L., & Druse, M. J. (2003). Effects of ethanol and ipsapirone on the development of midline raphe glial cells and astrocytes. Alcohol, 29, 157-164. doi:10.1016/S0741-8239(03)00024-7
Xie, N., Yang, Q., Chappell, T. D., Li, C.-X., & Waters, R. S. (2010). Prenatal alcohol exposure reduces the size of forelimb representation in motor cortex in rat: An intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) mapping study. Alcohol, 44, 185-194. doi:10.1016/j.alcohol.2009.10.014
Yang, Y., Roussotte, F., Kan, E., Sulik, K. K., Mattson, S. N., Riley, E. P., . . . Sowell, E. R. (2011). Abnormal cortical thickness alteration in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and their relationship with facial dsymorphology. Cerebral Cortex, 22, 1170-1179. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr193
lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an
a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS.
Most alcoholics proceed to a stage where their brains or their bodies have been so harmed by alcohol that the effects persist even when they are not drinking. This stage may be reached...
Research has shown that alcoholism is a choice and not a disease and a choice for an individual to begin consumption. Nation’s leading scientists studying alcohol abuse has determined that a human can travel down a long road before it’s almost impossible for them to refrain from alcohol, therefore meaning a large amount of alcohol would have to be consumed. Studies show that most people never reach the point of being an alcoholic, yet they still have the power to quit drinking. A disease is something that one has to accept, such as Cancer, Sickle Cell Anemia, or Alzheimer. Unlike a disease in most cases that the body cannot control, alcoholism is a mindset. Alcohol does not impair brain functions, but instead produces a complex set of adaptations that tamper down the functions of some brain regions while dialing up functions of others. While the opposing side believes that alcohol can cause brain disease, specifically the prefrontal cortex and dorsal striatum, research has shown that it does not impair brain functions only affecting the brain for a short period, thus allowing time to return them back to a normal state. Researchers led by Andrew Holmes Ph. D. in the Laboratory of Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience at NIAAA, measured changes of the brains of mice after being exposed to alcohol vapors finding permanent changes in the nerve cells that conduct signals as well as changes in the part of the brain’s signaling system that may play a role in sensation, mood, and memory. Although researchers found the previous changes were permanent, exposing mice to alcohol actually improved the ability for them to make decisions and improving their skills on learning tasks.
The article “Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College Populations” written by Marisa Silveri, PhD, aims to emphasize the the negative behavioral consequences with underage alcohol use. Silveri is a highly decorated professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who has been studying the neurobiology of brain development and consequences of alcohol and drug abuse using preclinical and clinical models for two decades. Her substantial background in psychology and neurobiology make her a highly credible source, and improves the author’s chance of making the point really stick. The article is easy to follow, and split up in subcategories that each cover a specific point the author is trying to make. Professor Silveri, with great credibility, uses logic and also emotional appeal to effectively convince the reader that alcohol use affects the brain negatively, and the importance to discourage the excessive consumption of alcohol by adolescents.
Bonthius, D. and West, J. Permanent Neuronal Deficits in Rats Exposed to Alcohol During the Brain Growth Spurt. Teratology, 44:147-163 (1991).
When it comes to pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have a lot of questions and concerns. One such concern is alcohol consumption. Some people feel that it is okay while others are against the consumption. However those who drink take a huge risk that can result in what is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This umbrella term is used to describe the range of damage from alcohol exposure to a fetus. The characteristics, diagnosis, and the mother are all important factors to look at when trying to understand these birth defects.
A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.
The National Institution of Health published this article for the purpose of explaining about the human brain and it’s relation to alcohol. According to the article, people with alcoholism have been known to have problems with skills in their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls decision-making and emotions. These same people show exaggerated neural responses in the dorsal striatum due to alcohol-related cues. This information shows that excessive drinking can affect learning and control of behavior and emotion. This information can be helpful in my paper because it explains that alcohol is a disease that affects the brain and it will help me try to prove my point of view.
Merrick J, Merrick E, Morad M, Kandel I. (2006). Fetal alcohol syndrome and its long-term effects. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Faculty of Health Sciences Jun;58(3):211-8.
Slutske, W. S., D’Onofrio, B. M., Turkheimer, E., Emery, R. E., Harden, K. P., Heath, A. C., et al. (2008). Searching for an environmental effect of parental alcoholism on offspring alcohol use disorder: A genetically informed study of children of alcoholics. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117, 534-551.
Heavy drinking is more damaging to both body and brain than smaller amounts of alcohol consumed more often because extremely high blood alcohol levels are toxic to organs, severely impair sensory and cognitive functions, and encourage habit formation or addiction. A youthful brain has weaker controls that would stop a person from drinking too much. Scientists are finding clues in the brain that may help them identify the most vulnerable young people in hopes of halting problem drinking before it starts. According to psychiatry researcher Reagan R. Wetherill of the University of Pennsylvania, “the aim is to bolster brain development ‘just enough’ so that young people can ‘inhibit their own drinking behaviors before they act’”. In the study, the 21 kids who had begun heavy drinking had, in their...
Children can be effected by their caregiver’s alcohol and substance abuse in numerous ways. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a pattern of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome tend to have physical abnormalities such as deformed facial characteristics. They are generally born with a variety of emotional and/or intellectual limitations. It is very common for these children to...
... 5.5 year old children.8 Schambra et. al exposed mice to alcohol during the correlated time frame of human gastrulation and neurulation and found that exposure to alcohol during this vulnerable development time period resulted in delayed sensorimotor and physical development.11
People always think that nothing bad would ever happen to them, or that they would never make the same mistakes as other mothers. The fact of the matter is it can happen to anyone and it will happen if people are not careful. 21 % of women use illegal drugs and alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy. Whether it is just one drink or one hit or this is an everyday occurrence; it can affect the baby mentally and physically for the rest of its life.