Frequent alcohol use kills new brain cells in adults

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Frequent alcohol use kills new brain cells in adults

 Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/alcohol-female-stem-cells-7911/
Article summary: There's a study on how neural stem cells in adult mice response differently in alcohol exposure and the changes are different depending on the sex of the animal. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause brain damage and neurodegeneration. In this study, cutting edge technique was used which allows them to tag the brain stem cells and observe how they move and develop into specialized nerve cells to study the impact of long-term alcohol consumption on them. This studied showed that chronic alcohol drinking killed most brain stem cells and shortened the production and development of new nerve cells. 

How it relates to psychology: This article relates to psychology because drinking in general does effect the person brain somehow and even animals. We also recently talk about alcohol addiction in class and now that I know that alcohol can damage brain stem cells, I have a better understanding that when people drink, people do not know what they are doing when they are drunk. Also because people consume alcohol, people do not think about the consequences which kind of explains the lack of brain stem cells.   

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2017 at 9:49 AM

    Alcohol is the most dangerous drug to get addicted too. Many organs are affected by alcohol including liver, kidneys, and the brain. The constant intake of alcohol can destroy the brain cells because it inhibits the production of dopamine. When a person tries to stop drinking, a burst of dopamine is release. The burst of dopamine can cause rupture in the brain receptors and areas. Since alcohol addiction is most common and dangerous. Can the ventral tegmental area be remove from certain individuals that can not stop drinking? If so, what outcomes can occur?

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  2. UnknownNovember 13, 2017 at 5:51 PM

    Interesting summary.
    The Ventral tegmental area is key for emotion and is heavily involved in reward and punishment feelings. There are obviously many ethical and biological concerns that would come with removing this VTA, and it would clearly be frowned upon. Without it, there would be little to no motivation in individuals...Any addiction should be dealt with CBT and a sequence of drug reduction/ substitution.

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  3. Roya NajafaliNovember 14, 2017 at 6:14 PM

    Alcohol can be easy to become addicted to, especially because it is easy to get a hold of as long as in the U.S. the person is over the age of 21. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause many issues, such as sorosis of the liver, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. Brain damage is also possible and can be very serious. Brain damage kills brain cells, which cannot come back once killed. I see the article says specially females and the brain of mice have a different response. You stated people do not know what they are doing when they are drink, but I feel that can be situational and based on the person. Overall, very interesting article.

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  4. Laura BrownholtzNovember 16, 2017 at 11:30 AM

    I found this article especially interesting following our chapter on Addiction. As we learned alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs to become addicted to because it has the deadliest withdrawal symptoms. This article is also very relevant because alcohol is such a prominent part of our society, especially among college students and it makes me wonder how people would respond if they knew all the dangers and potential damage that can come along with consumption.

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  5. Lady SNovember 16, 2017 at 5:45 PM

    Like the saying goes A little moderation goes a long way. So a little alcohol will not hurt anyone if taken in moderation. I mean I hear a glass of red wine can be beneficial to heart health. But I agree with this blog, too much alcohol can damage dendrites which we learned are the ends of the neurons. And if those dendrites are damaged then messages can be communicated.

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