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Memory problems caused by alcohol addiction

Memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction: How forgetful are you?

Memory problems

Memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction can be corrected professionally

We have seen time and again how alcohol abuse is reducing highly regarded people from the societies into nothing but a laughing stock. This (memory problems) has brought with it serious embarrassment and disgrace to the value of education. We have an opportunity to stop this and bring back those lost glories to their rightful places. This way we will not only put to check the escalation of alcoholism but also create role models to our children and their children’s children. Even as we chose to bring this to serenity, we must first find out why is this happening to our people? And that now brings us to our topic of discussion which has come out in a form of concern that is “memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction?” According to the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center alcohol and its effects on memory and general cognitive functioning, is not new and has been the subject of investigation and currently much research has been done over the years on this single subject. We are going to look at some of the impacts alcohol has in our general life system even as we take time to dwell much on how it affects the brain. We spoke with doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where all addiction related complications are professionally addressed and this is what she had to say.

Professionally doctor Akoury is registering that alcohol acts in human body in different ways but mainly as a general central nervous system (CNS) depressant. The human brain is segmented into different parts depending on their functions and all these parts of the brain are affected by alcohol addiction with some suffering the greater consequences than others. Doctor Akoury affirms that most importantly, alcohol abuse directly leads to distraction inattention and significantly inhibits neuronal activity in the hippocampus section of the brain which impairs memory encoding since the hippocampus plays an important role in the formation of new declarative memories. Because procedural memory functions more or less automatically, retrieval of procedural memory (“remembering how”) is not as severely impaired by alcohol as retrieval of declarative memory (“remembering what”).

Memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction: Memory Encoding

In memory processing, encoding becomes the first crucial first step which is instrumental in allowing any other observed item of interest to be transformed into a construct for storage in the brain, primarily to be recalled later from short-term or long-term memory. This is what alcohol abuse alters significantly thereby causing memory loss. Nonetheless for a better understanding, it is important to note that encoding is a biological event commencing with perception through the human senses. When the process of laying down memory begins, it normally triggers the attention where memorable experiences react with neurons causing certain intensity that increases the possibility that the experience is encoded as memory. During encoding emotional elements has a way of facilitating memory in the future through a pathway in the brain leading to the amygdala.

Now as to why alcohol addiction is not good for your memory, experts have established that alcohol with its addictive nature impairs the encoding of episodic memory which is that part of declarative memory that relates to our personal experiences and specific events in time and especially for certain types of recall, such as cued recall the recognition of completed word fragments and free recall. The experience of blackout commonly associated with excess consumption of alcohol is a perfect example of how difficult it can be in the encoding of episodic memories. The effect is facilitated by the rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration, which in turn distorts the activity of neurons in the hippocampus, thus impairing a person’s ability to form new episodic memories. Besides the aforementioned effects, excessive alcohol consumption can also brutally disrupt the encoding and storage process of new semantic memories which is human memory of facts, meanings and acquired knowledge about the external world even though this has got nothing to do with any previously learned information.

Memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction: Short-term memory

Besides the known and discussed complications of alcohol abuse above, alcohol also impairs short-term (working) memory, this it does primarily by affecting certain mnemonic strategies and executive processes rather than by shrinking the basic holding capacity of working memory or by physically altering the structure of the those parts of the brain which are critical for working memory function records doctor Dalal Akoury. And even though experts are agreeing that light to moderate drinking does not appear to impair long-term cognitive functioning significantly, the same is not true with heavy drinking and chronic alcoholism which has been closely associated with long-term impairment in sustained attention and working memory function, and in particular the visual working memory.

Finally experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, are reiterating that those who are into serious over-consumption of alcohol, especially in comparison with the intake of other foods, can besides the already mentioned effects can cause a thiamine deficiency, which when not addressed in good time can lead to a much more serious form of amnesia known as Korsakoff’s syndrome. Therefore we must all pool together in this journey of eradication alcohol and other substance of abuse. If you are heavily into alcohol, you may want to consider scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for a detailed professional evaluation and treatment. This needs not to wait because alcohol and memory have nothing positive in common. Treatment of both conditions (alcoholism and memory loss) must be done immediately to salvage the situation before it is too late.

Memory problems caused by alcohol and drug addiction: How forgetful are you?

 

 

 

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A Molecular Switch for Memory and Addiction?

Is This Real-Molecular Switch For Memory And Addiction?

Research has pointed out that learning and memory formations are based on the creation of new connections between neurons in all the brain. While examining the effects of some drugs, it has been found that behaviors such as nicotine addiction manifest themselves in long-term changes of neural connectivity. In this respect, can we think about what causes addiction? Since we are saying learning involves connections between neurons in the brain, and this is the same thing that addiction will do, then addiction can be viewed as a form of learning.

How does memory switch occur?

One of the fundamental explanations of how this occurs is by the fact that it involves joining of neurons in the brain. Scientists have discovered a molecular switch that plays a key role in the establishment of addictive behaviors and addiction. The success of their ideas may lead to new technologies in the control of loss of memory and probably treatment of addictive behaviors.

The process involves neural cells being sent from one cell to the next one in the form of chemical compounds known as neurotransmitters. This is usually the first step in the learning process in the brain. This prompts sequence of events which result in the changes in the neural connectivity and hence the memory consolidation. It is important to note that nicotine can equivalently have a similar behavior by triggering the rearrangement of the brain connections.

RyR2 and Calcium

How does the process flow?

Usually the first step is the introduction of neural plasticity, which is the formation of new connections in the brain. It involves calcium. Consequently as a response to neurotransmitters, cocaine or nicotine, calcium will increase the site of neuronal connection, known as the synapse.

The second step will be that the calcium will induce gene expression. Due the synthesis of proteins, it will lead to new and reinforced synaptic connectivity. It has been explained scientifically that this increase in calcium is only part of the first step in this process and thus does not depend on the gene expression.

Contrary to the argument above, some scientists have challenged it and tried to experiment the facts using mice. They realized that nicotine administration to mice induced the expression of a gene called type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2).

Is RyR2 involved in calcium release?

The RyR2 protein has been found to be involved in the release of calcium from a cell internal calcium store, the endoplasmic reticulum, thus leading to a sustained long-term signaling manner. This sustenance of calcium increase consequently leads to neuronal plasticity.

To be more specific, RyR2 is expressed in a number of critical brain areas associated with cognition and addiction as the cortex and ventral midbrain, suggesting that RyR2 induction plays a pivotal role in these given processes.

More and more researches were consequently done to confirm the idea. These experiments indicated that reduction in the RyR2 activation in animals were able to abolish behaviors associated with learning, memory and also addiction. This was absolutely a confirmation that RyR2 was required to develop long-term changes in the brain that could lead to addiction.

RyR2 and Calcium Release

What is the future of Molecular Switch for Memory and Addiction?

The results of those experiments were actually a milestone towards the understanding of the molecular processes which underlie our memory and addiction. This is an area that has not been exploited up to date though, and scientists are working tirelessly hoping they will soon come up with therapies based on these discoveries which will help in the treatment of addictions and also give counter measures to memory losses.

All we can hope is for this to happen soon than sooner, since the damage of addiction if already a concern all over the world and any success in this area will be a breakthrough for everyone in the world.

Is This Real-Molecular Switch For Memory And Addiction?

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