houseofmind: In relation to the last question,...

Sunday, March 6, 2011

In relation to the last question, I’m posting this schematic drawing of the human brain showing regions vulnerable to alcoholism-related abnormalities.

Alcohol effects by brain area/region:

Cerebral cortex: Disrupts thought processes, which may lead to poor judgment; blunts senses (ex. increases pain threshold); depresses inhibition (ex. more talkative/confident/social).

Limbic system (hippocampal regions): Memory loss and exaggerated emotions.

Cerebellum: Uncoordination of muscle movements (ex. loss of “fine-tuning” in motor skills).

Hypothalamus + pituitary gland: Alcohol depresses nerve centers in the brain related to sexual arousal and performance. Sexual desire increases, but sexual function is decreased with excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol also inhibits pituitary secretion of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) so alcohol affects urine production and excretion.

Medulla: Because the medulla controls what some consider automatic functions (i.e. heart rate, temperature, breathing), alcohol consumption may cause sleepiness. Increased or excessive consumption may lead to unconsciousness.

Taken from How Alcohol Affects the Brain

Additional ones:

Frontal lobe: Alcohol diminishes inhibition and impairs executive function. Drunks make worse decisions because critical brain areas involved in planning, evaluating risk, and analysis are affected.

Temporal lobe: Critical brain area for understanding/comprehension. Impaired by alcohol.

Parietal lobe: Visuo-spatial orientation and sensorimotor cortices.

Occipital lobe: Visual processing.

Corpus callosum: Connects right and left cerebral hemispheres and facilitates communication between hemispheres.

Thalamus: Main relay center of the brain. The thalamus relays sensory, motor, spatial signals, among others, to cortical areas of the brain. Basically, almost every input that we receive passes through the thalamus at one point or another.

Now you know what these do, now imagine the toll excessive drinking may have on these structures and their function….