Are binge drinkers more at risk of developing brain damage?

Hunt, Walter A.

doi:10.1016/0741-8329(93)90083-z

Cited by 118 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Chronic or excessive alcohol consumption leads to permanent brain damage in both humans and experimental animals and to the impairment of cognitive functions such as learning and memory (Pfefferbaum et al 1998;White 2003). According to Hunt (1993), binge drinkers who consume at least four or five drinks in a row are particularly susceptible to eventual brain damage. In Spain, about 40% of male college students (aged 15-34) and a high percentage (20%) of older adults (aged 35-64) reported binge drinking in a survey covering the whole of 2003 (Plan Nacional sobre Drogas 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

Binge ethanol administration enhances the MDMA-induced long-term 5-HT neurotoxicity in rat brain

et al. 2006

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Rationale Ecstasy abuse commonly occurs in hot, overcrowded environments in combination with alcohol. Around 90% of ecstasy users take ethanol; over 70% of these users also often drink alcohol at hazardous levels. Objectives We wished to examine whether binge ethanol administration enhanced the long-lasting 5-HT neurotoxicity induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats maintained at high ambient temperature and the role of acetaldehyde. Materials and methods Rats were treated with a 4-day ethanol regimen leading to plasma ethanol levels of around 450 mg/dl. On day 5, rats were placed at 30°C and administered MDMA (5 mg/kg). Rectal temperature and hydroxyl radical formation were measured immediately before and up to 6 h after MDMA. 5-HT concentration and 5-HT transporter density were determined 7 days later. A group of rats received cyanamide (50 mg/kg) on days 1 and 3 of the 4-day-ethanol inhalation. Results In ethanol treated rats, MDMA produced a hyperthermic response similar to that observed in controls but enhanced the loss of 5-HT concentration and 5-HT transporter density in the hippocampus. Cyanamide elevated the plasma acetaldehyde concentration fivefold to sevenfold, reduced the MDMA-induced hyperthermia and increased the neuronal damage with neurotoxicity also appearing in the cortex. MDMA increased hydroxyl radical production in the hippocampus, the effect being more marked in rats pre-exposed to ethanol.Conclusions Binge ethanol administration enhances the MDMA-induced long-term 5-HT neurotoxicity by a mechanism not related to changes in acute hyperthermia but probably involving hydroxyl radical formation. The magnitude of this effect is more pronounced after increasing plasma acetaldehyde levels by aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition.

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Binge ethanol administration enhances the MDMA-induced long-term 5-HT neurotoxicity in rat brain

et al. 2006

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“…Alcohol-induced brain damage produces some of the most insidious effects of alcoholism, including cognitive deficits such as learning and memory impairment (Pfefferbaum et al, 1998;White, 2003). The pattern of alcohol consumption is an important predictor of brain damage with episodic or binge drinkers (defined as those who consume four to five or more drinks in a row) being the most vulnerable group (Hunt, 1993). In the United States, about 40% of college students and a high percentage of older adult alcoholics fit this definition of binge drinking (Wechsler et al, 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparison of Cannabidiol, Antioxidants, and Diuretics in Reversing Binge Ethanol-Induced Neurotoxicity

Hamelink

Hampson²,

Wink³

et al. 2005

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

161

147

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Binge alcohol consumption in the rat induces substantial neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Oxidative stress and cytotoxic edema have both been shown to be involved in such neurotoxicity, whereas N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity has been implicated in alcohol withdrawal and excitoxic injury. Because the nonpsychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) was previously shown in vitro to prevent glutamate toxicity through its ability to reduce oxidative stress, we evaluated CBD as a neuroprotectant in a rat binge ethanol model. When administered concurrently with binge ethanol exposure, CBD protected against hippocampal and entorhinal cortical neurodegeneration in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, the common antioxidants butylated hydroxytoluene and ␣-tocopherol also afforded significant protection. In contrast, the NMDA receptor antagonists dizocilpine (MK-801) and memantine did not prevent cell death. Of the diuretics tested, furosemide was protective, whereas the other two anion exchanger inhibitors, L-644,711 [(R)-(ϩ)-(5,6-dichloro2,3,9,9a-tetrahydro 3-oxo-9a-propyl-1H-fluoren-7-yl)oxy acetic acid] and bumetanide, were ineffective. In vitro comparison of these diuretics indicated that furosemide is also a potent antioxidant, whereas the nonprotective diuretics are not. The lack of efficacy of L-644,711 and bumetanide suggests that the antioxidant rather than the diuretic properties of furosemide contribute most critically to its efficacy in reversing ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in vitro, in our model. This study provides the first demonstration of CBD as an in vivo neuroprotectant and shows the efficacy of lipophilic antioxidants in preventing binge ethanol-induced brain injury.

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“…However, the inclusion of gender as a direct predictor and moderator was not significant. One could hypothesize that beyond gender differences in specific consequences of alcohol consumption (Hunt, 1993;Rose & Grant, 2010), alcohol-related problems are mainly linked to social differences between men and women. That is to say, gender roles that encourage greater consumption of alcohol and other substances among men, and women's residence in lower income neighborhoods, are relevant factors in the number of alcohol-related problems displayed, beyond the condition of being male or female.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental stressors, socioeconomic factors, and alcohol-related problems among Argentinian college students

Conde

Cremonte

2017

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Introduction. The relationship between alcohol consumption, individual characteristics, and alcohol-related problems may vary according to environmental characteristics in certain populations. Objective. To explore the existence of a hierarchical structure in the links between environmental stressors, individual socioeconomic factors, regular alcohol consumption, use of other substances, and alcohol-related problems in Argentinian university students. Method. With a correlational design and data from a random sample of students from a public university (N = 1578, 58% female), we used a multilevel modeling strategy as follows: alcohol-related problems; regular alcohol consumption (quantity/frequency) as fixed effect, use of other psychoactive substances, sociodemographic factors (individual socioeconomic status, age, and gender); and environmental stressors as random effects (index of overcrowding as an indicator of poverty and reported crime as an indicator of violence in the neighborhood). Results. The rate of overcrowding proved to be the best Level 2 predictor for the alcohol-related problems model. Socioeconomic status, quantity and frequency of consumption, use of other substances, and age directly predicted alcohol-related problems (Level 1). Gender was neither a direct predictor nor a moderator of the links. Discussion and conclusion. At least one environmental stressor (neighborhood poverty) partly explains the variability observed in alcohol-related problems. The quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption and the use of other psychoactive substances were the strongest predictors of alcohol-related problems.

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Are binge drinkers more at risk of developing brain damage?

Cited by 118 publications

References 37 publications

Binge ethanol administration enhances the MDMA-induced long-term 5-HT neurotoxicity in rat brain

Binge ethanol administration enhances the MDMA-induced long-term 5-HT neurotoxicity in rat brain

Comparison of Cannabidiol, Antioxidants, and Diuretics in Reversing Binge Ethanol-Induced Neurotoxicity

Environmental stressors, socioeconomic factors, and alcohol-related problems among Argentinian college students

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