ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00535.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Acute ethanol administration (3 g/kg twice a day) to pregnant mice, from the 9th thru the 11th day of gestation, resulted in hypomethylation of fetal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Nuclei isolated from the fetuses of the ethanol‐treated mice had lower levels of methylase activity relative to controls even in the presence of excess S‐adenosylmethionine, which serves as the methyl donor for the enzyme DNA methyltransferase. Acetaldehyde, at concentrations as low as 3 to 10 μM, inhibited DNA methyltransferase activity in vitro. Since DNA methylation is thought to play an important role in the regulation of gene expression during embryogenesis, ethanol‐associated alterations in fetal DNA methylation may contribute to the developmental abnormalities seen in the fetal alcohol sy

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00536.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

In view of conflicting results concerning differences between sons of alcoholics and sons of nonalcoholics in response to a single alcohol challenge (with a given dose), we exposed these high and low risk groups to several sessions in which they drank alcohol at the same dose in order to measure the development of chronic tolerance or sensitization with repeated doses. Sons of alcoholics and sons of nonalcoholics received a moderate dose of alcohol (0.5 g/kg) in three sessions with alcohol, followed by a placebo session. Sons of alcoholics developed reverse tolerance or chronic sensitization to repeated dosings of alcohol in finger pulse amplitude, while sons of nonalcoholics did not. Sons of alcoholics failed to show chronic tolerance in skin conductance and finger temperature, while sons of alcoholics did show the development of tolerance. Sons of alcoholics demonstrated greater motor activity throughout the sessions, both before and after alcohol. These results indicate that high and low risk groups differ in terms of their developmental adaptation to alcohol, as well as in the temperamental trait of behavioral activity.

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00537.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This research investigated the effects of Ro15‐4513 (Ro15), a partial inverse benzodiarepine agonist, on the drinking behavior of 23‐1/2 hr fluid deprived rats. Water‐deprived rats were maintained on a two‐bottle regimen of a saccharin‐ETOH solution along with tap water available for 30 min/day for several days. Following this acclimation period, animals were pretreated with either Ro15 (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg) or Tween‐80 vehicle injections. Pretreatment with Ro15 at all doses tested resulted in a significant reduction of the saccharin‐ETOH solution; however, Ro15 did not alter the rats’ consumption of water. The effects of Ro15 on general fluid consumption was investigated in Experiment 2. Following acclimation to a two‐bottle regimen of a saccharin‐solution and tap water 30 min/day, naive animals were pretreated with Tween‐80 vehicle or Ro15 injections. Ro15 failed to alter saccharin or water consumption. The results of this study support previous reports suggesting that Ro15 attenuates the oral consumption of ETOH; however, this effect does not appear to be due to a general suppre

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00538.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Withdrawal from both acute and chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure is associated with increased neural excitability and increased activity of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis. There is some evidence that glucocorticoids are necessary for EtOH withdrawal seizure expression. Lines of mice that were selected for severe (WSP) and minimal (WSR) EtOH withdrawal (as estimated from handling‐induced convulsion scores) have been shown to differ in their stress response following an acute dose of EtOH. In this study we provide evidence that these lines of mice also differ in their sensitivity to the excitatory effects of glucocorticoids. EtOH withdrawal seizures of WSP mice were significantly increased by chronic and acute corticosterone treatment, whereas those of the WSR mice were unaffected. Neural excitability was decreased in the WSP mice when aminoglutethimide, a glucocorticoid synthesis blocker, was administered. Thus, it appears that genetic differences in EtOH withdrawal seizure severity may be due, in part, to differences in sensitivity to the excitatory effects of glucocorti

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00539.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Twenty‐eight chronic alcoholics and 36 age‐ and sex‐matched nonalcoholic controls were examined with magnetic resonance imaging and brain morphometric analyses. Results confirmed large increases in subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume and mild ventricular enlargement in the alcoholics and revealed associated volume reductions of localized cortical and subcortical cerebral structures. Volume losses in the diencephalon, the caudate nucleus, dorsolateral frontal and parietal cortex, and mesial temporal lobe structures were the most prominent. Significant correlations between increments in cortical and ventricular CSF and decrements in the volume of cortical and subcortical grey matter were noted. Although there was little evidence for relationships between performance on neuropsychological tests and volume of grey matter structures, significant correlations between some cognitive measures and subcortical and cortical fluid volumes were found. The parallels between this pattern of affected structures and recent neuropathological findings are disc

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00540.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The fetal alcohol syndrome is associated with altered immunity. Several laboratories have confirmed that rodents exposed to ethanol in utero demonstrate both diminished proliferative responses of T cells to mitogens and diminished proliferative responses of T‐blast cells to human recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2). We examined the developmental time course of these altered immune responses by testing the immune function of in utero ethanol‐exposed rats at various ages. We found that while diminished splenic T cell proliferative responses could not be detected at 2 weeks, they were present at 6 weeks after birth and suppression was maximal at 6 weeks and 3 months. Thereafter, at 5 and 7 months, the altered immune responses gradually declined and normalized at 8 months of age. Thus, both altered T cell mitogenesis and the blunted IL2‐induced proliferative response of T‐blast cells could serve as bio‐markers of fetal exposure t

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00541.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

While some morbidities associated with the excessive use of alcohol are related to the total amount of alcohol consumed—cirrhosis being an example—other pathologies, such as trauma and those of psycho‐social origin, are mainly related to the frequency of acute alcoholic intoxication rather than to the total amount consumed. The balance between these two types of alcohol‐associated morbidities can provide an indication of the relative frequency of intoxication, and thus of the pattern of alcohol abuse in a population. Since trauma is highly associated with acute alcoholic intoxication, the prevalence of bone fractures was determined in cirrhotics in nine countries. The prevalence of rib and vertebral fractures on routine chest x‐rays showed a 17‐fold variation in the different countries, from 2% and 6% in Spain and Italy to 30% and 34% in Canada and the USA, suggesting marked differences in the pattern of alcohol abuse to intoxication. Conversely, the prevalence of cirrhosis is twice as high in Spain and Italy than in Canada and the USA. A strong positive correlation between per capita consumption and cirrhosis mortality (r= 0.86;p<0.01) exists among the nine countries studied, while the correlation between per capita alcohol consumption and the prevalence of trauma is not statistically significant (r= ‐ 0.40). Supporting a strong association between trauma and alcoholic intoxication, the prevalence of trauma was found to be highly correlated:r= 0.88,p<0.002, with the degree of concern for the psycho‐social consequences of alcohol abuse in the different countries. Data indicate that trauma can be used as an objective indicator to assess the pattern of alcohol abuse

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00542.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The literature on alcohol and stress in human subjects carried out since 1981 is reviewed. The review covers selected aspects of the interaction of alcohol and stress. (1) Most of the review focuses on the role of stress on alcohol ingestion. Retrospective research based on data from the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated an increase in alcohol consumption with anxiety in certain groups of, as yet not well characterized, individuals. For example, although still insufficiently documented, stress does not appear to play a significant role in alcohol ingestion by women and the elderly. By contrast, stress does appear to play a role in the control of alcohol ingestion by adolescents. Prospective studies employing questionnaire‐interview formats generally support an effect of stress on alcohol ingestion. However, studies employing male college aged social drinkers did not find a correlation between levels of stress and ingestion of alcohol. Alcoholics also differ in the reasons for drinking alcohol, but generally ingest alcohol to lessen anxiety/stress. It is clear that the Tension Reduction Hypothesis as originally postulated is no longer adequate. Many new models based on an interaction of alcohol and stress have been proposed to explain the control of alcohol consumption. Considering the multidimensionality of factors that appear to contribute to the control of alcohol ingestion, it is unlikely that a single model could possibly be relevant to alcohol ingestion under all conditions. More likely different models may be relevant to alcohol consumption under specific conditions, or for specific populations. (2) Alcohol has been reported to decrease anxiety in agoraphobics. The self‐medication by agoraphobics may contribute significantly to their alcohol abuse. (3) Alcohol has also been reported to decrease tremor of the hands in stressed subjects as well as in patients with essential tremor. (4) Although a number of studies have employed electrodermal activity in studies aimed at the interaction of alcohol and stress, the results have been rather inconsistent. (5) The controversy on the purported beneficial effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system persists. A number of studies have shown a J‐ or U‐shaped relationship between alcohol ingestion and incidence of coronary heart disease. Alcohol may also influence stress‐induced changes in blood pressure. Although a number of studies have demonstrated lower blood pressure in individuals ingesting less than two drinks per day compared with abstainers or heavy alcohol imbibers, the evidence is not conclusive. (6) It is not clear whether the interaction of alcohol and stress involves alterations in plasma catecholamines. Alcohol may lower elevated plasma catecholamines induced by some, but not all, stressors.The inconsistencies in data in the reviewed literature most likely reflect some of the many variables associated with alcohol and stress research. These are also briefly reviewed and include subject‐, drug‐ and stress‐re

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00543.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Cellular responses of neuronal tissue to chronic ethanol exposure are reviewed. Evidence for adaptive responses to the acute actions of ethanol is available for five systems: GABA‐activated chloride channels, voltage‐sensitive calcium channels, NMDA‐activated cation channels, receptors coupled through stimulatory guanine nucleotide binding proteins, and membrane lipid order. We suggest that at least some of these adaptive responses occur because of ethanol actions at the level of gene expre

ISSN:0145-6008    

DOI:10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb00544.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1991

数据来源: WILEY