Effects of Alcoholism on Brain's Reward System May Be Different in Women Than Men
The article “Effects of Alcoholism on Brain’s Reward System
May Be Different in Women Than Men,” published in Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging, is about a study conducted to observe
women reward systems in order to aid in gender-specific treatments for
alcoholism as well as further the amount of research done on reward structures
in alcoholic women. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston
University School of Medicine collaborated to study the effects of alcoholism on
the reward system of women. In previous studies, the reward system of alcoholic
men was mainly studied. This study has found that alcoholic women had a larger
reward system structure compared to nonalcoholic women, which is the opposite for
men. Previous studies found that nonalcoholic men had larger reward system
structures than alcoholic men. The study contained 60 nonalcoholic
participants, 30 males and 30 females, and 60 alcoholic participants, 30 males
and 30 females who have been abstinent for four to 38 years. The researchers
from Boston University School of Medicine prompted participants to fill out
their medical histories and complete a neuropsychological assessment; the researchers
from Massachusetts General Hospital took MRI brain scans of the participants after
filling out their medical histories and taking a neuropsychological assessment.
The purpose of the MRI brain scan was to analyze the brain as a whole and the reward
network structures. The results showed that the average size of reward network
structures in alcoholic men were 4.1% smaller than the reward structures in nonalcoholic
men, and the average size of reward network structures in alcoholic women were
4.4% larger than the reward network structures in nonalcoholic women. Also, a
negative association was found when comparing the length of sobriety and the
size of the ventricles in the center of the brain. The size of the ventricles
of the alcoholic participants decrease around 1.8% each year of sobriety passes
for both men and women.
I found this article to be quite interesting and shocking
to see a difference in reward network structures between genders. The results
have shown that the structure is larger in alcoholic women than nonalcoholic
women and larger in nonalcoholic men than alcoholic men. Furthermore, the size
of the ventricles decreasing by 1.8% each year of sobriety shows some recovery
from alcohol damage in the brain. This article relates to our addiction unit
lecture. Addiction and reward goes together; the user will keep using the drug
to obtain the positive effect it has on him or her which will lead to addiction.
The level of dopamine will increase in the ventral tegmental area when the user
is abusing a drug. In lecture, we also discussed different forms of treatment. Antagonistic
treatments, which will block the drug’s effects, and aversive treatments, which
causes unpleasant reactions when using the drug, can be implemented for alcohol
addiction. For the treatments to be effective, the addict needs to be motivated
to quit. One author of the paper has stated that the same researchers are
planning to look at the severity of drinking and the length of sobriety has on
specific structures in the brain. As stated before, one purpose of the study
was to aid in gender-specific treatments for alcoholism. I would be interested
in seeing how alcoholic men and alcoholic women compare when presented with equivalent
gender-specific treatment and how active their reward structures are during
that time.
Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/alcohol-reward-system-women-6461/
I found it very interesting that the research showed that men and women's reward systems were opposite of each other. Addiction is an interesting area to study since it affects many peoples lives. The brain plays a key role in the addiction process. It also tells us a lot about many of our actions. The article related to our section of addiction and the internal processes that play into it. As you stated, reward and addiction go hand in hand. The ventral tegmental area shows rising dopamine levels when the drug is used. Leading to addiction, or wanting to continue the feeling. The research paved the way for proper treatments for different people. Before this there were not gender specific treatment plans but generic ones. Knowing how different genders react to alcohol and addiction will aid in success of recovery rates.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting study and I am looking forward to reading about the researchers' future study and results. This discovery can potentially revolutionize treatment plans for alcoholic men and women. In my opinion, a good study is one that answers one question, while simultaneously opening the door to new research ideas and presenting new intriguing questions, which is exactly what this study does. I am left wondering why men and women have different sized reward network structures, and why the structure is larger in alcoholic women compared to nonalcoholic women and smaller in alcoholic men compared to nonalcoholic men. I would also be interested in learning how long a person drinks changes the size of the structures or if the age a person began drinking has an effect.
ReplyDeleteI too am curious about why there are reverse affects in men and women in relation to the size of the reward centers. My initial thought was maybe difference in hormones can play a role. For instance, women have astronomically higher levels of estrogen; even if a woman has a low level of estrogen, it is still higher than any man's would be. That being said, men have significantly more adrenaline than women do. This fight or flight hormone more present in men opposed to women may form a connection between their decreased reward center, as the hormone is secreted in high stress situations.It is definitely something that requires further research that could change lives of alcoholics if treatments could be developed to better effects based on sex.
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