BEHS 364 (Alcohol in the United States) exam 2023 with 100% correct answers

neurons multiple brain systems communicate with each other through about a trillion tiny nerve cells called neurons -translate information into electrical and chemical signals the brain can understand. -send messages from the brain to the rest of the body neurotransmitters carry messages between the neurons. -can be very powerful -depending on the type and amount of neurotransmitter, these chemicals can either intensify or minimize your body's responses, feelings, and mood. -alcohol can slow the pace of communication between neurotransmitters in the brain. this may cause you to feel very drowsy -can trigger mood and behavioral changes, including depression, agitation, memory loss, and seizures. brain imaging Various imaging tools, including structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and positron emission tomography (PET), are used to create pictures of the brain. All of these imaging techniques are useful to track changes in the alcoholic brain. For example, they can show how an alcoholic brain changes immediately after drinking stops, and again after a long period of sobriety, to check for possible relapses. psychological tests Researchers also use psychological tests to evaluate how alcohol related brain changes affect mental functioning. These tests demonstrate how alcohol affects emotions and personality, as well as how it compromises learning and memory skills. cerebellum - This area controls motor coordination. Damage to the cerebellum results in a loss of balance and stumbling, and also may affect cognitive functions such as memory and emotional response limbic system This complex brain system monitors a variety of tasks including memory and emotion. Damage to this area impairs each of these functions cerebral cortex Our abilities to think, plan, behave intelligently, and interact socially stem from this brain region. In addition, this area connects the brain to the rest of the nervous system. Changes and damage to this area impair the ability to solve problems, remember, and learn. long term heavy drinking -causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in the size of brain cells. -brain mass shrinks and the brain's inner cavity grows bigger -these changes affect a wide range of abilities including motor coordination, temperature regulation, sleep, mood, and cognitive functions such as learning and memory. -neurotransmitters try to create balance in the brain which causes alcohol tolerance, alcohol dependence, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. the neurotransmitter glutamate affects memory -alcohol interferes with glutamate action, which causes some people to temporarily black out, or forget a lot of what happened during a night of heavy drinking