Ahem...
It's Not Just A Gun...
It's My "HOMELAND DEFENSE RIFLE"!!
Posted on 02/20/2005 4:13:54 PM PST by LurkedLongEnough
Alcohol interferes with how brain cells communicate with one another, coordination, grogginess, impaired memory and loss of inhibitions associated with drunkenness. Yet researchers have been unable to pinpoint how alcohol causes this disruption in the brain.
Now scientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have deciphered how a naturally occurring gene mutation in rats' brains lowers the animals' tolerance to alcohol, leading to rapid and acute intoxication after the equivalent of one drink. The UCLA study is the first to identify how the gene variation alters GABA receptors -- specific sites targeted by chemicals from the brain cells -- making them more responsive to very low levels of alcohol. Alcohol enhances the GABA receptors' influence on brain cells, slowing the cells' activity and ability to communicate.
The fact that the gene mutation arises naturally suggests that tolerance levels to alcohol may be genetically wired in people, too. If so, the findings could eventually help identify children and adults at higher risk of developing alcohol dependency, so these individuals can make an informed decision about whether to drink. The study results may also speed the development of new drugs that target alcohol-sensitive GABA receptors, leading to better treatments for alcohol poisoning and addiction.
Authors of the study include UCLA Brain Research Institute members Richard Olsen, Ph.D., professor of molecular and medical pharmacology; Thomas Otis, Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology; and Martin Wallner, Ph.D., pharmacology researcher.
The Feb. 6 online edition of Nature Neuroscience reports the findings.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Addiction supported the research.
Is that a lowland brand? Lot of the other stuff has so much Iodine in it....
If it's truly aged in oak, it's probably excellent, but ya gotta admit, the Dalwhinnie is dam good. The 18 yr Glen Fiddich is also wunderbar.
Nothing like sipping a Bacardi Solera after a hard day of working to pay taxes to the nannystate.
> This is very interesting stuff. The researchers aren't
> trying to make a social statement about alcohol
> consumption. They are trying to understand the
> fundamental chemistry in the brain that causes alcohol's
> effects. Based on this article, they have found a
> genetic effect on alcohol sensitivity. In other words,
> why different people can experience differing degrees of > alcohol's effects. some people do get drunk much more
> easily than others, even after weight and sex are
> considered.
All very true.
Both my parents had drinking problems. I would describe my mother as an alcoholic and my father as a drunk. I am somewhere in between.
People who don't know about this don't know about this.
It's not where you / I want to be.
If you're referring to "750 ML Cask Strength - 29 yrs," for $339.99 it had better be good!
Gads, at that price, it would bring one to tears to un-cork it - let alone drink it.
For special occasions I'll break out the Glen Fiddich and Glen Livet, otherwise I'm happy with Dewars.
Nah, I drink the 15. (which is still not cheap, about $50 a fifth)
Let me introduce a favored friend.
I'd love to try it. Problem is, most bars usually have Dewars or Glen Livet on the top shelf. And investing in a bottle only to find I don't really like it is gambling.
I did try the Cardhu, another highland single malt, 12 yrs, and was pleasantly surprised. But it needs more aging.
I didn't see where any new information came out. I already knew the alcohol molecules start to work their way in between the connections between the brain cells and that's what causes the disruptions to speech patterns and the like.
Other than the fact some may have lower genetic tolerances, waht did we learn?
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