Alcohol and the brain

Article Abstract:

The past decade has brought insights into the effects of alcohol upon the brain that challenge the more simplistic views of prior years. The classic view holds that the most evident brain pathology of alcoholics, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, results from thiamine deficiency caused by malnutrition and poor thiamine metabolism. Wernicke's encephalopathy is characterized by confusion, impaired consciousness, and eye and movement disorders, while Korsakoff's syndrome is primarily characterized by memory impairment. In recent years, computerized tomography (CT scanning) and other techniques have enabled the visualization of subclinical pathologies that suggest the problem is more complex than simple thiamine deficiency. Evidence of brain shrinkage, toxic effects upon the nerve tissue of the brain (especially at the base of the brain) and defects in the biochemistry of the system that transmits nerve signals, leads to a more complex picture of the damage that alcohol can do. In addition, the fact that different people have varying susceptibilities to these alcohol-induced pathologies suggests that there may be genetic factors at work as well, at least in terms of the body's ability to metabolize alcohol. A hypothesis is built upon the limited evidence available to describe the mechanisms of alcohol-related brain damage, and to lead the way for further research. In terms of the therapeutic implications of the hypothesis presented, it is important to recognize that the first step in reversing any brain damage caused by alcohol is to discontinue alcohol exposure. Thiamine supplementation is useful, and there is hope that drugs currently being investigated for treating Alzheimer's disease may also be useful in repairing damage to the neurotransmitter biochemistry caused by alcoholism. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Physiological aspects, Alcohol, Ethanol, Alcohol poisoning, Speeches, lectures and essays, Brain damage, Alcohol in the body, Wernicke's encephalopathy, Korsakoff syndrome

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The Fregoli syndrome and puerperal psychosis

Article Abstract:

Fregoli syndrome is a disorder first identified in 1927, in which the patient identifies a familiar person in various strangers and claims that, despite no physical or familial similarities, they are psychologically identical. Research has suggested that Fregoli syndrome occurs primarily in males and is a psychotic disorder occurring mainly in schizophrenics. Patients are usually paranoid as well. Four cases of Fregoli syndrome and puerperal (after childbirth) psychosis are presented here. All four patients had recently delivered a child and, except for one women, it was the patient's first child. Treatment with medication was successful in all cases, and led to recovery. All patients had a paranoid element to their disorder, but none was diagnosed as schizophrenic. No organic causes of illness were detected in any of the women. This is the first report of post-partum Fregoli syndrome. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Case studies, Complications and side effects, Childbirth, Delivery (Childbirth), Pregnancy, Puerperal psychoses

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