What part of the brain is most affected by alcohol?
The cerebellum, an area of the brain responsible for coordinating movement and perhaps even some forms of learning, appears to be particularly sensitive to the effects of thiamine deficiency and is the region most frequently damaged in association with chronic alcohol consumption.
The first part of the brain to be affected first is Cerebellum. The willpower and self-control of the person get reduced. Control over emotions and moral sense also gets reduced. Loss of muscle coordination also occurs as the cerebellum is affected.
Alcohol makes it harder for the brain areas controlling balance, memory, speech, and judgment to do their jobs, resulting in a higher likelihood of injuries and other negative outcomes. Long-term, heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in their size.
the cerebellum is one of the brain areas first affected by alcohol.
Excessive alcohol exposure results in cerebellar ataxia and alterations in hand movements, speed when striking a target, impaired postural stability and balance, and slower attenuated foot taping. In addition, the developing cerebellum is particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of alcohol.
When alcohol a ects the frontal lobes of the brain, a person may find it hard to control his or her emotions and urges. The person may act without thinking or may even become violent. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time can damage the frontal lobes forever.
A number of studies have sought to examine the effects of EtOH on PFC function in humans using brain imaging techniques. Acute administration of alcohol increases blood flow in the right prefrontal cortex of healthy patients (Tiihonen et al., 1994) and this effect appears dose dependent.
Unexpectedly, these authors also found that alcohol increased amygdala activity to neutral faces, concluding that alcohol may exert its anxiolytic effects by reducing the amygdala's ability to detect threatening information and/or by attenuating amygdala reactivity to threat (Gilman et al. 2008).
Once brain cells die, the effect of the brain damage is permanent. Thankfully, some of the changes in the alcoholic brain are due to cells simply changing size in the brain. Once an alcoholic has stopped drinking, these cells return to their normal volume, showing that some alcohol-related brain damage is reversible.
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Steatosis, or fatty liver. Alcoholic hepatitis.
Does alcohol cause frontal lobe dementia?
The Frontal lobe is responsible for actions like planning, organising, initiation and self-monitoring. This is termed Frontal Lobe Dementia which is also caused by alcoholism.
Acute administration of alcohol increases blood flow in the right prefrontal cortex of healthy patients (Tiihonen et al., 1994) and this effect appears dose dependent.
The Medulla controls vital functions like breathing and heart rate. Alcohol causes the medulla to lower the body's temperature, and that can lead to hypothermia. The Medulla can work to fight off alcohol in your system, but if it is overwhelmed, alcohol poisoning can result.
Damage to the temporal region of the cerebral cortex often leads to impairment in memory and use of language. This may be one reason that alcohol abuse is so difficult to treat: it damages the specific neural systems that are needed for drinkers to abstain from or curb their drinking.
Unexpectedly, these authors also found that alcohol increased amygdala activity to neutral faces, concluding that alcohol may exert its anxiolytic effects by reducing the amygdala's ability to detect threatening information and/or by attenuating amygdala reactivity to threat (Gilman et al. 2008).