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Alcohol in Adolescents Brain. Gaby and Luanna. Neurotransmitters. Serotonin (5 HT)- inhibitor or stimulator Gamma- aminobutyric acid (GABA)- inhibitor Dopamime - inhibitor or stimulator. Alcohol Effects on the Brain. http:// www.youtube.com / watch?v =g2gVzVIBc_g.
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Alcohol in Adolescents Brain Gaby and Luanna
Neurotransmitters Serotonin (5 HT)- inhibitor or stimulator Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- inhibitor Dopamime- inhibitor or stimulator
Alcohol Effects on the Brain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2gVzVIBc_g
How drug use affects the brain GABA neurons are found in a part of the brain responsible for memory and other cognitive functions Dopamine neurons found in area that produces feelings of pleasure and reward 5HT neurons influence moods, thinking patters, and emotions, thus they control “appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, mood, behavior, cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, endocrine regulation, and depression”
Even after 1 drink, the rising levels of 5HT being released into the nervous system cause it’s output influence to show (emotion, mood, thoughts) GABA neurons are located in many different parts of the brain, thus when alcohol is introduced into the system, it speeds up the inhibition already caused by GABA in all the different parts, which makes the body create behavioral output.
When alcohol enters the system, dopamine levels rise, providing a feeling of pleasure and of thought that more drinking is okay, which ultimately rises the limit of alcohol intake in the person, which is what explains the high tolerance levels of addicts. Alcohol intake also has an effect in the way that these neurotransmitters work together interacting with each other.
In adolescence, the abuse use of alcohol can cause the destruction of neurons and prevent the realization of synapses, the fundamental processes like learning. It is during this phase that the brain has more physiological conditions to store and process information. Alcohol causes memory impairment and loss of reflexes, which may contribute to traffic accidents. Drunk, the teenager is more vulnerable to unprotected sex and is exposed to STDs. Alcohol may increase blood pressure and cause stroke.
Curiosities The human brain continues to develop until a person is around age 25. Underage drinking may impair this neurological development, causing youth to make irresponsible decisions, encounter memory lapses, or process and send neural impulses more slowly. • Underage drinking cost society $68 billion in 2007, or $1 for every drink consumed. This includes medical bills, income loss, and costs from pain and suffering. • In 2009, 19 percent of drivers ages 16–20 who were involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol concentration over the legal adult limit (0.08). • Alcohol use encourages risky sexual behavior. Youth who drink may be more likely to have sex, become pregnant, or contract sexually transmitted diseases.
Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQ8F05C5gk
Bibliography http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro00/web1/Kim.html